Novak Djokovic suffered his first defeat on Australian soil since 2018 on Wednesday when he lost to Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur at the United Cup in Perth.
The Serbian struggled with a wrist injury throughout the match and was unable to find his best level in the RAC Arena. However, the World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings is not overly concerned with where his game and body are at, 11 days before the start of the Australian Open.
“I knew that probably, [I am] not going to be at 100 per cent physically, emotionally, mentally game-wise in the opening week of a season. Neither did I expect that,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. “I was not on my level, but it was just one of these days where I didn’t feel my best on the court, and [my] opponent played very well. That’s all I can say.
“I think I’ll be okay, to be honest,” Djokovic added when asked about his wrist. “It did have quite an impact, particularly on the forehand and serve. I have plenty of time, I think enough time to get myself in the right shape for the Australian Open.”
Djokovic received treatment by the physio and Serbian captain Viktor Troicki during the match. He was unable to turn the tables on de Minaur, though, with the Australian improving to 1-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
