World number one Novak Djokovic admitted he needs to work on his game ahead of next month’s French Open after he was knocked out by Aslan K...
World number one Novak Djokovic admitted he needs to work on his game ahead of next month’s French Open after he was knocked out by Aslan Karatsev in the Belgrade semi-finals on Saturday.
The 28th-ranked Karatsev saved 23 of 28 break points to advance to his second final of the year following a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory, gaining a measure of revenge for his defeat by Djokovic in the last four of the Australian Open.
It was a second surprise loss in as many weeks for Djokovic, who was also beaten in the last 16 of the Monte Carlo Masters by Britain’s Dan Evans.
Djokovic is registered for the Madrid Open but did not confirm whether he would play at the May 2-9 Masters-level event which will feature reigning French Open champion Rafael Nadal.
“Roland Garros is the main goal but I need to play better if I’m thinking about doing something there. I have a lot of work ahead of me,” said the 18-time Grand Slam champion.
Djokovic commended the “bravery” of Karatsev and his “excellent play in the important moments” but revealed he felt “dizzy” in the third set.
Karatsev rose from 114th to inside the top 50 following his improbable run as a qualifier at the Australian Open, as...
