When Novak Djokovic steps onto a tennis court, he often performs at a near-flawless level.
The Serbian star has been particularly flawless at the Australian Open throughout his career, winning a record 10 titles at the event. Moreover, Djokovic has won every single final he has contested in Melbourne.
However, in 2016, Djokovic was far from flawless, hitting 100 unforced errors during his victory over Gilles Simon in the Australian Open fourth round.
It was a bewildering performance from the Serbian superstar, who went on to win his sixth title in Melbourne.
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After the contest, Djokovic said that he was surprised by the number of unforced errors he registered against the Frenchman.
Novak Djokovic said it was a ‘match to forget’
Speaking to reporters after the five-set victory, Djokovic reflected on his thoughts upon winning the contest. Djokovic won the match 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
He said: “Well, that I was obviously pleased to win the match. The last point counts. But in terms of the performance itself, I haven’t done well at all.
“But, you know, can expect unforced errors when you’re playing Gilles Simon who is one of the best counter-punchers in the tour at the moment and he’s been around for many years. He likes to play long matches. He likes to play long rallies.
“But I knew what was expecting me on the court. But I honestly didn’t expect to make this many unforced errors. In terms of a level that I’ve played, it’s the match to forget for me.
“Again, I won it, so it’s pretty good. When you’re playing that bad and still manage to win — hopefully it’s going to be better next one.”
The Serbian star was then asked if he had an explanation for why he did not play well.
“It just happens. You have those days,” Djokovic replied.
“As I said, a lot depends from the opponent. And Gilles is a great defender. Always makes you play an extra shot. You have days like this, but fortunately you manage to fight your way through. I think in important moments the serve was getting me out of trouble. That’s what I take as a positive from today.”
Djokovic added that he could not remember ever playing a match where he had hit anywhere close to 100 unforced errors.
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Novak Djokovic said he was playing the best tennis of his career after winning the 2016 Australian Open
Djokovic went on to win his sixth title in Australia, defeating Andy Murray 6–1, 7–5, 7–6 in the 2016 final.
By winning the tournament, Djokovic equalled Roy Emerson’s record of six Australian Open titles.
After defeating Murray, the Serbian star reflected on his accomplishment.
“Everybody is holding a champagne glass here. This is a very formal press conference [laughter]. All smiles when champagne is around,” Djokovic said during his post-match press conference.
“Well, look, as I said, it’s a great honour. I don’t take anything for granted, even though I won last four out of five Grand Slams, played five finals out of five Grand Slams last that I played.
“It’s phenomenal. I’m very proud of it, as is my team. We worked very hard to be in this position, and we should enjoy it. We should cherish every moment that we get to experience now because these are the tournaments that we all value, that we all want to play well on.
“No doubt that I’m playing the best tennis of my life in last 15 months. You know, everything is going well privately, as well. I became a father and husband, have a family, so I feel like I’m at the point in my life where everything is working in harmony.
“I’ll try to keep it that way.”
A decade later, Djokovic will head into the 2026 Australian Open aiming to win a record 25th Grand Slam singles title. Djokovic recently added a new face to his coaching team who could help him achieve this goal.
