‘Pis*ed Off’- Novak Djokovic Expresses Emotions Following Loss to Qualifier at ATP Dubai 2022

Czech international Jiri Vesely is making the headlines at the moment. He became the man who ‘defeated’ Novak Djokovic in Dubai Open. The Serbian superstar lost his ATP Top ranking as a result of this loss. It was a shocking result in many ways, as Djokovic was always trailing throughout the match.

Novak’s 6-4, 7-6 loss against world no. 123 Jiri Vesely was his second defeat in as many matches. Vesely earlier had a 3-setter win in Monaco in 2016 against Djokovic. But Novak received a walkover against Jiri in the same season at the US Open.

Novak Djokovic expresses his feelings on the loss

Djokovic expressed mixed feelings about losing the game. He said, “Of course, I’m still motivated and I’m still pissed off when I lose a match. I care about winning every match, as anybody else on the tour.”

The motivation is, of course, to go and perform better every time he sets foot on the court, while the competitive Serb is obviously “pis*ed off” with the loss. He further added that he feels glad about his “mixed” feelings and it signifies his deep love for the sport.

The loss not only ended his run at the 6th Dubai Championship, but also resulted in him losing his top spot as well. Russian Daniil Medvedev will claim the top spot on the tour now. Djokovic was on the top of the ranking since 3rd Feb 2020. It was his 361 week at the top, most in ATP ranking since 1973. Steffi Graf holds the record of 377 weeks with top ranking in the world of tennis.

Also, 34-year-old Serb rubbishes the age factor affecting his game. He said, “I don’t look at the age really as a restricting factor for my career. I still feel great in terms of my body and the way it’s holding on, the way it’s recovering.”

Djokovic in the Dubai Championship

After the Australian Open saga, Novak Djokovic started his campaign with the Dubai Championship. He received a warm welcome in the Gulf Tiger. Novak conveyed his joy over the love received and entertained fans with his magical plays in the tournament.

He won his 1st two matches in 2 sets, defeating Lorenzo Musetti and Karen Khachanov in the round of 32 and 16, respectively. The loss against Jiri was unimaginable to many as even current top seed Daniil Medvedev also calculated the requirement of 3 tournaments to fulfill his dream of becoming world number one.

Also Read: ‘Boys’ Dream Continues’ – Fans Can’t Stay Calm as Daniil Medvedev Overthrows Novak Djokovic to Script History