With no Grand Slam victory to his record after leaving Melbourne, the 36-year-old was more than motivated to give it his all in the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the year and add another trophy to his collection.

The Serbian faced difficulties against world no. 123 Luca Nardi in the third round of the event, and things didn’t go any easier against Aleksandar Vukic in the first round either.

The Italian was considered a “lucky loser,” meaning that he was eliminated from the main draw after losing in the last round of qualifying, which allowed him to play against the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

Following his defeat by Nardi, Djokovic was frank about what transpired on the court. He acknowledged his opponent’s performance first and foremost, while also mentioning that his level was “really bad.”

He truly had nothing to lose because he entered the main draw as a lucky loser, so he performed admirably. deserved to triumph. My level startled me even more. My performance was appallingly low.”

Because he isn’t accustomed to losing early in competitions, the Serbian wasn’t hesitant to describe his performance as “poor.” He hasn’t yet taken home a title in 2024, and he’s not used to that.

“I had the option to handle things differently. I mean, I did a very bad job, as I mentioned. Yes, there are no championships this year. I’m not accustomed to that. For the most part of my career, I would begin the season having won a Grand Slam, a tournament in Dubai, or anything else.”

Even so, Djokovic accepts the challenge, knowing that he is the top player in the world on the ATP Tour and that many opponents find intimidating. He stays driven to win another trophy as quickly as possible for the rest of the 2024 season.

It’s alright. It’s a component of the sport, you know. All you have to do is concede. You win some, and you lose some. I’m hoping to keep going and win some more.”

“I guess every trophy that eventually comes my way is going to be great (smiling), obviously to break the kind of negative cycle a little bit I’m having in the last three, four tournaments where I haven’t really been close to my best.”