Novak Djokovic has seemingly always found a way to play great tennis. It’s how he got to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings and occupied the top spot for 223 weeks during his career. It’s how he has won 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, tied for the record with Rafael Nadal. It’s how he had won 30 of his past 31 matches at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where he has won six titles.
But since suffering an elbow injury that kept the Serbian out for the final six months of last season, the 30-year-old has struggled to find that great tennis. And on Friday afternoon, he lost his third consecutive match, something he had not done since the end of the 2007 season, when he dropped his final five matches.
“I mean, I'm trying, but it's not working. That's all. That's all it is,” said Djokovic, who fell in straight sets against Benoit Paire. “I'm not feeling great when I'm playing this way. Of course, I want to be able to play as well as I want to play. Just it's impossible at the moment. That's all. I lost to a better player.”
To be fair, it is only Djokovic’s third tournament since 2017 Wimbledon, so he has not played many matches — six, to be exact. But when in the past he has found ways to battle through tough matches, the Serbian has fallen short this year. The ninth seed appeared poised to turn things around against Paire in the second set, when he won eight of nine points to recoup a break and threaten the Frenchman’s serve. But soon thereafter, the match was over, and not in his favour.
“I felt I started the match well, first six games, then I just ran out of gas,” Djokovic admitted. “He was serving well. I just wasn't able to break him down. He was just coming up with the good shots at the right time. It happened very fast.”
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There is no doubt that Djokovic is capable of jaw-dropping tennis. He would not have finished inside the Top 3 of the ATP Rankings for 10 straight years, including four year-end No. 1 finishes, otherwise. But the 68-time tour-level titlist is not thinking about all of that success.
“I know that you can't be the person that you were yesterday, and the player [you once were]. You have to keep on training, evolving, trying to improve your game,” Djokovic said. “The circumstances that I was in the last two years were very challenging. But I'm not the only one that goes through that. I mean, there are tougher injuries that players go through. I don't want to sit here and whine about my last couple of years.”
And just because Djokovic has struggled does not mean he isn’t working to get back to top form as quickly as possible. The Serbian notably altered his service motion before the season to release the load from his elbow during the motion and to help make the overall stroke more efficient.
“I'm just in general trying everything I can. It is what it is. I'm not at the level that I used to be,” Djokovic said. “I'm aware of that. I just have to obviously believe in myself and hopefully it will come.”
Djokovic told the press he came to Indian Wells and Miami — he has won the ‘Sunshine Double’ four times — because he loves the hard courts and wanted to play more matches before to help prepare himself as the ATP World Tour gets ready to shift to the European red clay. But he never stepped on the court thinking he did not have a chance to triumph.
“I wouldn't go out on the court if I didn't believe I can win a tennis match. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't trying. I mean, nobody is kind of forcing me with a whip to go out on the court. I have a freedom to choose whether I want to play or not,” Djokovic said. “I love this sport. There's a lot of people that support me, especially here. I thank them for their great support. Unfortunately I'm not at the level they would like to see me at and I would like to see myself at. But it is what it is. Life goes on.”