Djokovic: ‘That’s What You Get For Losing Focus’

Novak Djokovic was on the doorstep of victory in the semi-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, leading Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 4-3, with a break in the second set. But the Spaniard mounted a spirited comeback to upset the top seed 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.

Nobody ever wants to lose, especially when victory is within reach. But Djokovic gave all credit to Bautista Agut, who will play Tomas Berdych for the title on Saturday.

“I want to congratulate him,” Djokovic said. “Especially in the third set he played well. I thought he was hitting the ball very clean and not making a lot of errors.”

One can dig deep into a match to analyse why one player wins and another loses. Bautista Agut maintained unrelenting pressure throughout the match, making few mistakes against the Serbian to earn his second victory against a World No. 1 (def. Djokovic, 2016 Shanghai). But Djokovic does not want to dwell on his loss. After all, he has still won 29 of his past 32 matches.

“I lost the match. That’s it. He managed to turn things around, obviously at the end of the second set. I thought I was pretty much in control of the match,” Djokovic said. “He played a good game. I missed some easy balls and that’s what you get as a result of losing the focus in the most important moments. And it happens, it happens.”

A loss is a loss, but there are still positives for Djokovic to leave Doha with. He was able to spend 11 hours and four minutes on court in his first tournament of the year, which includes his run to the doubles semi-finals with brother Marko Djokovic.

“This is what I was looking forward to, to get from this tournament, as many matches as possible, to get ready for the Australian Open. So I’m very pleased,” Djokovic said. “Obviously, I’m not pleased that I lost the match today, but I lost to a better player in the end and I have to turn the next page.”

One might wonder if Djokovic’s efforts on the doubles court affected his singles play. But the 72-time tour-level titlist said that is not the case. Djokovic enjoyed playing with his brother, and believes that the reason he lost to Bautista Agut was simple, and it has nothing to do with doubles.

“I was very close to winning the match. A few points decided the winner,” Djokovic said. “He was the one.”

The World No. 1 may be disappointed to not advance to the final, but the loss will not change his mindset moving forward. Djokovic’s next tournament is the Australian Open, where he has triumphed six times. And to nobody’s surprise, the goal he is striving for in Melbourne remains the same.

“A trophy.”