Djokovic doesn’t believe this defeat in Australia will be the beginning of the end

MELBOURNE (AP) — It doesn’t take one loss in 11 Australian Open semifinals for Novak Djokovic to start thinking about a generational change in tennis.

Djokovic faced no break points in his 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 loss to Jannik Sinner on Friday, ending his unbeaten run in this round from the 10-time Australian champion to Melbourne Park.

He praised his 22-year-old Italian opponent for his “flawless” tennis game – it was Sinner’s third win over Djokovic in their last four meetings – but said his own performance may be the worst he can remember.

“In this tournament I didn’t play at my best standards, criteria or level that I usually play or expect to play at,” Djokovic admitted, “but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the beginning of the end, as some people like it to be.” say.”

“We’ll see what happens in the rest of the season.”

Djokovic, 36, suffered from illness and wrist ailment in Australia this month and was clearly not at his best, as he admitted and was seen playing against Sinner.

But no other player has as many Grand Slam titles as Djokovic, who has 24, winning three of them last year, going 27-1 in majors.

“I still have high hopes for the Grand Slams, the Olympics and any tournaments I play,” he said. “This is not the feeling I’m used to. “It has been incredibly rewarding to start most seasons with a Grand Slam title and never lose in the semi-finals or finals of the Australian Open.”

The great trio of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dominated the majors at the time.

Stan Wawrinka’s title ten years ago was the only Australian to have failed to win any of the three titles since Marat Safin defeated Lleyton Hewitt in 2005.

That will change this Sunday when Sinner plays his first final against Daniil Medvedev, who eliminated Alexander Zverev in four hours.

Federer has retired and Nadal is injured. Djokovic insists the end is far from over, although his 33-game winning streak, which began with a fourth-round defeat in 2018, has come to an end.

“Right now I feel irritable. “It’s hard to reflect on anything more deeply after the game,” he said, “but I’m definitely not proud of what I achieved here.”

“One day this series had to end. It had to happen and at least I gave it my best, given the circumstances, I didn’t play very well and lost to a player who has a chance to win his first Grand Slam.”