Novak Djokovic’s failed pursuit of a 100th ATP title continues. The 37-year-old had two alternatives to achieve the milestone in 2024, however he misplaced to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner within the Wimbledon and Shanghai finals, respectively.
On Sunday, he had a significantly simpler foe to deal with, going up towards 19-year-old Jakub Mensik within the finals of the Miami Open. The third time wasn’t the attraction, as Djokovic misplaced back-to-back tiebreakers to endure an upset loss to the Czech teenager, who clinched his career-first ATP title by defeating the person he grew up idolizing.
The match was delayed by almost six hours on account of incessant rain in Miami. Moreover, there have been considerations about Djokovic’s well being after a photograph surfaced of him practicing with a swollen eye a day earlier. Nevertheless, the 24-time main winner refused to make any excuses after his loss and declined to reveal particulars on his eye damage.
“It is unlucky for me,” Djokovic stated of the loss, via The Straits Times. “Two tiebreaks, simply very bizarre match, bizarre day with rain delay and all of the issues that had been taking place. I did not really feel my best on the court docket, however it’s what it’s. Nothing to remove from his victory. I actually desire to not discuss — there’s fairly a number of issues, however I desire to not…I’ll simply congratulate him. That is it. I do not wish to sound like I am giving excuses right here for my loss.”