LONDON: Exhausted Novak Djokovic blamed his lacklustre Wimbledon final defeat against Andy Murray on being unable to recover quickly enough from his gruelling semifinal victory.
Djokovic had taken over four hours and 43 minutes to defeat Juan Martin del Potro in a bruising five-set classic just 48 hours earlier.
And with the All England Club basking in sweltering temperatures of 40 degrees on Sunday, the usually hyper-energetic Djokovic found it impossible to rouse himself enough to subdue Murray. The world number one looked flat for long periods and made 40 unforced errors during a sapping 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 defeat that took over three hours to reach a conclusion.
“It took a lot out of me. I cannot look for excuses but yes the previous match went almost five hours, five sets,” Djokovic said.
“I’ve been in these situations before. I felt okay but maybe physically I didn’t have enough gas in the important moments.
“I went for my shots more than usual. Okay, that’s life. You have to move on. It was a very long match for three sets today. But the bottom line is that he was a better player in the decisive moments.”
Djokovic had been in sublime form en route to the final, but the top seed couldn’t recapture that form as tiredness set in during his first straight sets defeat at a Grand Slam since a 2010 Wimbledon loss to Tomas Berdych.
And he admitted his aching limbs and mental fatigue scrambled his thought process and made him take too many risks. “In both second and third sets, I was 4-2 up and dropped the serve in those games and just allowed him to come back for no reason,” Djokovic said. “I should have played better in the decisive moments. I wasn’t patient enough.
Unlike in last year’s final, when Murray had to share the support of the crowd with Centre Court favourite Roger Federer, this time the Briton was given vociferous backing from start to finish. Djokovic was even subjected to some jeers for repeatedly questioning line calls and ranting at umpire Mohamed Lahyani following one controversial decision.
However, he refused to criticise the crowd’s reactions and claimed he had expected the fans to be against him.
“The atmosphere was incredible for him. For me, not so much. But that’s what I expected and that’s how it was,” he said. However much it hurt to lose, Djokovic still made a point of seeking out Murray to offer his congratulations before the trophy presentation on court. (Agencies)