Novak Djokovic was brutally beaten by Jannik Sinner on Friday, in a match that exhibited the true gulf in quality between these two elite athletes.
From the very start, it became evident that the Italian was in an unforgiving mood.
What is most frightening is that he was unwavering in this mindset throughout the clash, affording his opponent just a sole break point opportunity, with an ace swiftly dashing any hopes of a meagre comeback.
Novak Djokovic spoke about his struggles during this match to the press, but what he later said in his native language arguably offered a greater insight into the internal frustration such a damaging and one-sided result has inflicted.
Novak Djokovic states what is so difficult to take about his loss to Jannik Sinner
In the portion of his Wimbledon semi-final press conference that was spoken in Serbian, Djokovic offered a more emotional and raw outlook on this loss.
The 39-year-old explained that he could not shake one frustrating sensation following this result, where he was meticulously beaten by Jannik Sinner in straightforward fashion.
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Discussing his ageing form and the problems, both physically and mentally, this provokes, he admitted: “It is certainly not the same as it used to be. With all my experience and everything I have achieved, it is naturally difficult for me to accept and process on the court that my level of play can drop so much.
“I anticipate the ball and know where it is going. Mentally, I am there, but my body feels slowed down. Then you feel as though you are constantly half a step slower than the player
on the other side of the net. That drives me mad.”
These comments only further justify claims that Djokovic finds himself in a weird situation, the likes of which have never really seen before in the sport.
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When it was announced that Carlos Alcaraz would miss Roland Garros due to injury, the rest of the ATP Tour’s interest in the event picked up.
Then, when it became clear that he would be unavailable for Wimbledon too, the biggest opportunity in the last two years of men’s tennis was clear for all to see.
From the 2024 Australian Open, one of Alcaraz and Sinner had won all of the following nine majors. Their duopoly was egregious, and left stars like Alexander Zverev and Djokovic frustratingly locked out of contention.
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So, to have one half of this dominant force removed meant that, if anyone was to win the title, they would now only have to beat one of the world’s best two players.
Zverev took full advantage of that in Paris, and will hope to do so again later today despite not having had to play the world number one en route to the Roland Garros title.
However, you can’t help but feel like, with Alcaraz’s comeback tournament now roughly confirmed, that Djokovic has missed the best opportunity he will ever get to win that 25th Grand Slam title.
