Djokovic: Nadal defeat a warning

Originally published on: 25/06/13 00:00

A year after his shock second-round defeat to Lukas Rosol at the All England Club, Nadal crashed to a 7-6(4) 7-6(8) 6-4 defeat at the hands of Belgian Steve Darcis.

Djokovic had no such troubles as he eased past Germany’s Florian Mayer 6-3 7-5 6-4 on Centre Court, but he admits Darcis' victory was a reminder that the top players cannot afford to look past their next match.

“In the opening rounds it’s very dangerous for top players who haven’t been playing on grass courts this year before Wimbledon,” Djokovic said. “On the other side of the net is somebody who is lower ranked, he has nothing to lose, so he’s going for his shots.

“You cannot take anything or anybody for granted,” he said. “You have to be grateful for being in this position, work even harder to stay there.  That's the whole point.

“The sport is evolving, like everything in life.  Everybody is getting better, getting more professional.  Especially at the opening stages of Grand Slams, there are a lot of quality players who have nothing to lose really coming on the Centre Court or No.1 Court, playing in front of 10,000 or more people.

“Against one of the top players, you know, what can you really lose?  You're going and you're playing your best tennis.”

Now get the WORLD’S BEST TENNIS MAGAZINE here