After Serbia’s Davis Cup loss to Italy, Novak Djokovic opened up about the reason behind the loss that had left him devastated. Sinner’s remarkable day included defeating Djokovic twice in both singles and doubles rubber, leading Italy to secure a spot in the Davis Cup final with a 2-1 defeat over the in-form Novak Djokovic’s Serbian team.
Serbia initially opened the semifinal tie with Miomir Kecmanovic’s victory over Lorenzo Musetti in a three-set singles match. However, Sinner evened the scores by clinching a singles win against Djokovic after saving three consecutive match points. Novak Djokovic confessed he didn’t see it coming when Jannik Sinner’s doubles game turned the tide for Italy in the deciding doubles rubber.
🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic, after his two losses:
“I take responsibility for the defeat. Three wasted match points. It’s my fault”
Source: @teozorzoli pic.twitter.com/S9Rp89X7jo
— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) November 25, 2023
In the aftermath of Serbia’s defeat, Djokovic expressed his surprise at Sinner’s performance, especially in doubles, where Sinner has a losing win-loss record in his career. Djokovic remarked, “I know Jannik’s quality, but, you know, I was thinking maybe he’s gonna drop a little bit, you know, in the doubles, but he didn’t.”
More from Djokovic after what was literally a five-question press conference (followed by questions in Serbian): “Obviously, this is a tough one to swallow. I was really trying to hype myself and encourage myself for this week. Throughout the entire season, my thoughts were this…
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) November 25, 2023
Djokovic added, “Personally, it’s a significant letdown for me. I take responsibility, especially with those three match points, being so close to winning it [for Serbia].” Novak Djokovic took responsibility for Serbia’s Davis Cup defeat. He further reflected that when one loses for their country, the bitter feeling becomes even greater.
Jannik Sinner achieves rare feats against Novak Djokovic
Jannik Sinner’s extraordinary performance against Novak Djokovic in the Davis Cup semifinal has earned him some unique records. In a thrilling action-packed day, Sinner secured a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Djokovic in the singles rubber and later followed it up with a double win over the Serbian as well. In the process, Jannik Sinner not only defeated Djokovic twice on the same day but also created some rare feats.
Sinner’s remarkable comeback from triple match point down at 4-5, 0-40 in the deciding set of his singles encounter with the Serbian not only leveled the tie at one apiece but also marked him as the first men’s player to beat Novak Djokovic from three consecutive match points down.
Sinner is the first man in history to ever beat Novak Djokovic from 3 consecutive match points down.
Jannik’s historic season isn’t done yet.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 25, 2023
This victory also marked Sinner’s second singles win over Djokovic in as many weeks, with the first occurring in the round-robin stage of the ATP Finals last Tuesday, where he triumphed 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2). With these wins, Sinner achieved a rare feat, becoming only the third man ever to defeat Djokovic twice in 12 days, a feat previously accomplished only by Nadal and Murray within similar time spans.