SHANGHAI // Novak Djokovic conceded he was worn out from his dominance of the tennis circuit over the past two seasons after his nosedive in form grew steeper on Saturday.
The world No 1 said he was exhausted and emotional after a brilliant run in which he has snared six of his 12 grand slam titles, including four in a row up to June’s French Open.
He was speaking after a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to 19th-ranked Roberto Bautista in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, a tournament he won for the third time last year.
Since grabbing his first French Open title, Djokovic won in Toronto and reached the US Open final but he was also an early casualty at Wimbledon and the Olympics.
“In terms of results it was up and down, but there are definitely things that I need to regain from the emotional, mental point of view,” Djokovic said. “So I guess I’m focusing on that more. It’s a transition somewhere in between, maybe just exhausted by the amount of matches I have had in the last 15 to 20 months.
“Maybe all in all that’s the cause of me feeling this way. But I had to experience this sooner or later. I knew I could not go on playing at the highest level for so many years all the time.”
Djokovic, who skipped his China Open title defence last week with an elbow problem, arrived in Shanghai insisting that mental equilibrium was now his focus, rather than trophies.
But he departed with neither after a bad-tempered defeat to Bautista in which he smashed his racquet, tore his shirt and lashed out at the chair umpire.
Djokovic, 29, has conceded he is dealing with “private issues” in recent months and in Shanghai, he hinted that his coaching tie-up with Boris Becker may be at an end.
The question now is how quickly Djokovic can recover, and whether he can return to the levels that made him peerless in the game.
“I guess this is one of those days. You know, things go in an opposite direction than you want them, but again, it’s a lesson,” Djokovic said. “Every day is a lesson. You learn from these kind of days and matches more than when you’re winning.”
Nadal calls for slower balls to prevent injury
Rafael Nadal says the modern game is too fast, increasing the risk of injuries at elite level, and advocates the use of balls which bounce less to slow things down.
The 30-year-old Spaniard, who has won 14 grand slam titles in his career, has been blighted by injury and adds the game should be slowed down to extend players’ careers at the top level.
"Today, we play with much more strength. Almost any player can hit a winning point from any position," the current world No 5 told Saturday's edition of German magazine Der Spiegel.
Nadal says the fast pace of modern tennis often requires a violent change of pace and direction which increases the risk of injury.
“The balls travel faster and when you want to return one, you may have to suddenly stop, while playing at a high tempo, or suddenly change direction,” he said. “It’s times like these that you can hurt yourself, it’s causing us injuries.”
The former world No 1 has not reached a final since winning the ATP tournament in Barcelona in April, his second title of the year.
On Thursday, Nadal suggested he may call an early halt to his season, and hit the practice courts to try to halt a slide in form after his first-round defeat at the Shanghai Masters.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
