“it’s just a shame,” Novak Djokovic’s loss to Jannik Sinner at the 2024 Australian Open revisited by Coach Goran Ivanisevic days before Serb’s Indian Wells feat

Goran Ivanisevic reveals that Novak Djokovic's loss to Jannik Sinner was not due to any illness.

“it’s just a shame,” Novak Djokovic’s loss to Jannik Sinner at the 2024 Australian Open revisited by Coach Goran Ivanisevic days before Serb’s Indian Wells feat

Goran Ivanisevic and Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic coach Goran Ivanisevic revealed that the Serbian loss to Jannik Sinner was not a result of ill health, as reported by several media outlets. The coach believes that defeat is the reality of the sport, and it is pretty normal to not win every time.

For the uninitiated, the 36-year-old Serbian fell to a shocking loss against Jannik Sinner at Rod Laver Arena in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Djokovic, who was the favorite to win the title and his 25th major, now has to wait for another Grand Slam tournament.

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Speaking to Sportal, Ivanisevic said that Novak Djokovic was healthy against Sinner, and if he had to lose to someone, he’s glad it was the young talent himself. 

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Sooner or later he had to lose, we were all aware of that. It's just a shame that it happened this way, but against Sinner, if you're not 100%, you have nothing to ask for.
Goran Ivanisevic said
And even when you're at 100%, you can still lose. However, the whole Australian Open was somehow not right for Novak, from the first round onwards. Well, let's move on, it's nothing that tragic. No, nothing bothered him, he was healthy, but it just didn't work out… It can happen to him too, he's flesh and blood. On the other hand, if he should have lost to someone, then I'm glad it was against Sinner.
Continuing further, he added

It was the third time in the span of three months that Djokovic has lost to young talent Jannik Sinner. The first came at the group stage of the Nitto ATP Finals. However, the Serbian went on to defeat the Italian in the ultimate final. Then, at the Davis Cup, Sinner defeated the Serbian in the semifinals to help Italy lift their first Davis Cup title in over 30 years.

However, Sinner’s best performance came against Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open. He claimed his first major title in his first final, becoming the third Italian to win a Grand Slam.

Novak Djokovic returning to Indian Wells after four years

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has announced that he will compete at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells after four years.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Via Imago)

The ATP Masters 1000 event, which starts from March 6th to 27th at Indian Wells Garden, will be the first ATP competition the Serbian will play in this year.

With that being said, it seems like the 36-year-old is willing to put the memories behind him at the BNP Paribas, which he has won five times.

The last time the 24-year-old Grand Slam winner won the title was in 2016, but he has yet to get past the Round of 16 in his last three appearances at Indian Wells. The announcement also means that the Serbian will not compete at the Dubai Tennis Championship this month.

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