Novak Djokovic was shocked by Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2 3-6 6-1 within the second spherical of Indian Wells because the Serbian suffered an early exit by the hands of a fortunate loser for a second consecutive yr.
Djokovic fell to fortunate loser Luca Nardi of Italy within the California desert final yr and historical past repeated itself a day after high seed Alexander Zverev additionally went out.
After his withdrawal from Australia, his loss within the opening match at Qatar Open and his beautiful defeat to the Dutchman, Djokovic is now on a three-match shedding streak.
“You know, things are different obviously for me the last couple of years,” stated Djovokic, who hit simply 16 winners to 37 unforced errors. “I’ve been struggling to play on the desired level.
“Once in a while, I’ve a few good tournaments, however principally it is actually a problem. It is a wrestle for me.
“So it is what it is. I guess nothing can prepare you for that moment, in a sense. You have to experience it and try to deal with it in the best possible way.”
The Serbian got here out flat in opposition to the event fortunate loser, who took full benefit of a blizzard of errors from the 24-time Grand Slam champion to seize the primary set.
Djokovic raised his degree to seize the second however Van de Zandschulp, who misplaced to Matteo Gigante 7-5 6-0 within the remaining spherical of qualifying, refused to again down, operating away with the decider earlier than the sold-out crowd.
The Indian Wells courts have been resurfaced this yr to make them extra consistent with the circumstances on the Miami Open and US Open and Djokovic stated he struggled to learn the bounce of the ball.
“Obviously no excuses for a poor performance,” he added. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court, but congratulations to my opponent. Just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.
“I remorse the extent of tennis contemplating how I observe today.”
Discussing the court, he said: “The distinction between the centre court docket and the opposite courts is immense.
“The ball is bouncing on the centre court higher than some of the highest clay courts, to be honest. Just struggled a lot with that. Couldn’t find the rhythm.”
Djokovic stated he would want to talk to rival-turned-coach Andy Murray earlier than deciding subsequent steps. Previous to his first match he stated he would play the second leg of the ‘Sunshine Double’ on the upcoming Miami Open.
“Still haven’t talked with Andy and the team, so going to do that and make a plan,” he stated.
Within the WTA occasion, World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka edged out American McCartney Kessler 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 with a single break of serve.
Sabalenka faces unseeded Italian Lucia Bronzetti within the third spherical on Monday.
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