Serbiaís Novak Djokovic hits a return to Italy’s Jannik Sinner throughout their males’s singles last match on the Shanghai Masters tennis event in Shanghai on October 13, 2024. (Picture by HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP)
Novak Djokovic insisted Sunday that he plans “to compete and play subsequent season” regardless of struggling one other loss by the hands of world primary Jannik Sinner.
The 37-year-old Serb, the holder of a males’s document 24 Grand Slam titles, went down 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to the Italian within the last of the Shanghai Masters.
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It was Djokovic’s third defeat in his final 4 clashes in opposition to the Australian Open and US Open champion.
READ: Final of ‘Large 4,’ Novak Djokovic battles on
Nevertheless, Djokovic mentioned he has no intention of following career-long rival Rafael Nadal into retirement though he endured by his personal admission “one of many worst-performing seasons by way of outcomes”.
“I don’t know what the longer term brings, I’ll simply attempt to type of glide to see how I really feel in a given second however I nonetheless plan to compete and play subsequent season,” he advised reporters.
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Djokovic failed so as to add to his Grand Slam haul in 2024 as Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who claimed the French Open and Wimbledon titles, took possession of the game’s main honors.
Nevertheless, Djokovic was topped Olympic champion, successful an emotional roller-coaster of a last in opposition to Alcaraz in Paris in August. That was his 99th profession title.
Sunday’s loss left him frustratingly in need of changing into simply the third man after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer to win 100 titles.
READ: Novak Djokovic admits to ‘worst tennis ever’ in shock US Open exit
“It’s not a live-or-die sort of objective for me, I feel I’ve achieved all of my greatest targets in my profession,” he mentioned.
“Proper now it’s actually about Slams and about nonetheless seeing how far I can type of push the bar for myself.”
Djokovic hailed Sinner who at 23 is 14 years his junior. His title in Shanghai was his seventh of the 12 months.
“He’s very stable from the forehand and backhand, doesn’t make too many errors, and simply tries to remove the time from the opponent,” mentioned Djokovic.
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“That’s one thing that jogs my memory of myself all through my profession, that’s what I’ve achieved for thus a few years constantly, enjoying fast-paced tennis, taking away time from the opponent, type of suffocating the opponent in a sure means.”
