Novak Djokovic slumps to defeat and admits he ‘ran out of gas’ at Miami Open
For the second time in three days, Miami’s ticket holders found themselves bewildered. They had come to cheer Novak Djokovic, a six-time champion here. And yet, just like Serena Williams on Wednesday, Djokovic kept missing his cues. The serve that used to find its spots so unerringly was creaky and slow. The backhand – once seen by many as the most complete double-hander in the game – sprayed errors.
But perhaps the most bizarre aspect of this performance was the lack of urgency. Djokovic slouched around the court where he used to strut. His opponent, 47th-ranked Benoit Paire, is known as one of the flakiest players on the tour, but it was Paire who had the more businesslike head on as he swept to a 6-3, 6-4 victory in just 67 minutes.
This was Djokovic’s third straight defeat – a statistic that we have not seen since 2007, when he was 20 years old. Afterwards, he sounded both confused and conflicted. “I’m trying, but it’s not working,” he said. “I felt I started the match well, first six games, then I just ran out of gas. I just wasn’t able to break him down. It happened very fast.
“I’m not at the level that I used to be. I’m aware of that. I just have to obviously believe in myself and hopefully it will come.”
We were expecting the next step on Djokovic’s itinerary to be Monte Carlo, the millionaire’s tax haven where he lives with his wife and young son. Yet he was reluctant to commit to the tournament on Friday night, saying “That was the plan, but let’s see what happens.”
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While Djokovic claims that his right elbow is pain-free for the first time in years, he seems to have been gripped by an indefinable malaise. Ironically, a physical injury might be easier to treat.
British No 1 Johanna Konta opened the defence of her most prestigious title with a solid 6-4, 6-3 victory over world No 71 Kirsten Flipkens. “I really enjoyed being back out there,” said Konta. “There’s definitely a lot of great memories, not just from last year but the year before. She [Flipkens] is quite tricky to play. She can be very handsy and uses her slice well.”
Earlier, British No 4 Liam Broady had gone down 6-3, 6-2 to world No 27 Filip Krajinovic.
Meanwhile, the Lawn Tennis Association revealed that a selected shortlist of tennis centres that have applied for the new National Academy role. They are Stirling, Loughborough, Bath, Culford and Bisham Abbey.
One or perhaps two centres will be chosen to implement the programme, which will charge parents of children aged 14 and over no more than £5,000 per annum while delivering a tailored programme of coaching, fitness training and physiotherapy worth around £35,000.
