Don’t write off Djokovic just yet!

ldquoNovak Djokovic had a bad day He looked like an older player It was a rare moment However as longtime tennis watchers know Write off Novak Djokovic at your peril Hell be back Hell respondrdquo tweeted a fan minutes after the topranked Serb fell short of expectations for the third time against a man 14 years his juniorHaving beaten the king of Rod Laver Arena in two of their previous three encounters Jannik Sinner had a long night in Melbourne to consider the prospect of one of the biggest upsets in recent tennis history He now has a lifetime to savour it while Djokovic can ponder the Grand Slam that surprisingly got awayAlso ReadlsquoNot all heroes wear capesrsquoSinner a 22yearold Italian with a thunderclap serve and forehand handled the mounting pressure to calmly set about his business and punctuate his winning points with calm fists to the sky After gaining a foothold in the match early in the first two sets the fourthseed dropped his serve but then broke Djokovic again instantly extending his lead to 52 in the last set before the two traded holds to finish the matchBut above all he handled the topseeded Djokovic who has been in the deepest of grooves having won 33 straight Australian Open singles stretching back to 2018 Buoyed by a rollicking crowd and a reinvigorated forehand Sinner thwarted Djokovicrsquos shot at immortality outplaying the 24time Grand Slam champion 61 62 67 68 63 on FridayIt was a very tough match Sinner said at the postmatch presentation I started off really well He missed in the first two sets I felt like he was not feeling that great on court so I just tried to keep pushing Then in the third set I had match point and I missed the forehand but this is tennis I just tried to be ready for the next set which I started off really wellAlso Read Ifs buts and maybesAs the hypedup semifinal showdown began Djokovic looked out of sorts as if he lacked his usual metronomic consistency Although he led by a short margin in the first few minutes of the third set Sinner quickly locked in drawing the Serb into long rallies and sweeping up early unforced errors as the latter tried to escape them to no availDjokovic admitted he was lsquooutplayedrsquo by Sinner I was in a way shocked with my level you know in a bad way he told reporters There was not much I was doing right in the first two sets I guess this is one of the worst Grand Slam matches Ive ever played at least that I rememberldquoOne of the things that I respect about Djokovic is how he never makes excuses for his losses He is always humble and gracious in defeat and gives full credit to his opponent There are certain players who claim they are injured after every loss and make all kinds of excuses and I am glad that Djokovic is not like thathelliprdquo a fan wrote Truly the Serb has the right presence of mind to mock himself in both low and high moments but most importantly he possesses the ability to lift an arena with vigorous energy although this was nowhere to be seen on Friday all the while remembering to respect his competitors and the gameThough Djokovic was reluctant to make any predictions about how this season may pan out he sounded an ominous warning to his rivals Vowing to return for another shot at the title next year the 36yearold insisted his defeat was not the lsquobeginning of the endrsquoIn tennis where fortunes fluctuate with each precise stroke Djokovicrsquos response to defeat is not merely a reflexive rebound but a meticulously crafted symphony of grit strategic recalibration and an unwavering commitment to his craft Or how else can one forget what happened after an agonising defeat to a 20yearold Carlos Alcaraz took its toll on him in the Wimbledon final last year The Serb lifted the US Open trophy as part of a 19match unbeaten runDjokovicrsquos setbacks on court serve not as impediments but as waypoints in his journey inviting introspection adaptation and a fervent commitment to elevating his stature as the lsquovenerable titan of tennisrsquo in moderneraPerhaps his rare losses underscore the poignant reality that even the most dominant athletes are susceptible to the capricious nature of winning and losing Both coalesce to shape the narrative of a players journey but it is how one bounces back from failures that draw them closer to immortality And Djokovic has done it not once or twice but every time he has let himself downThereupon lsquowrite off Novak Djokovic at your perilrsquoWith quotes from AP