Novak Djokovic: ATP dispute reason for defeat against Philipp Kohlschreiber
In the run-up to the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami, Novak Djokovic commented on what happened at the previous tournament in Indian Wells. The world number one admitted to being too distracted by the discussions about the outgoing ATP President Chris Kermode.
by tennisnet
last edit: Mar 20, 2019, 01:19 pm
"I wasted my energy doing too many things outside of my routine," said Djokovic before the second Masters tournament of the year. "I learned my lesson."
He again emphasized that his ultimate goal was to let more players benefit from the rising prize money. "Because at the moment only the best hundred can live from our sport. We are trying to change that," said Djokovic.
These plans met with little understanding from the two biggest names in tennis at the moment. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were both advocates of Kermode and would have preferred a longer-term solution with another British tenure at the head of ATP.
Federer also did not like the fact that despite several requests, he only got an appointment for a personal conversation with Djokovic (the chairman of the players' union) after the players had agreed . The search for a successor to Kermode could also prove to be extremely difficult in the coming weeks and months.
Novak Djokovic: Kohlschreiber "deserves this victory"
In Indian Wells, Djokovic suffered a surprising defeat when he lost 4: 6, 4: 6 to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round. "Kohlschreiber would have been better in the evening session, but it shouldn't be because of the rain," said Djokovic. The game was originally set up under floodlights, but after one game the match had to be postponed to the following day.
"The conditions were very different, the balls jumped higher. He used the spin very well and I didn't play well. It was one of those days. He deserved this victory because he played tactically and brought me out of my comfort zone." , Djokovic strewed the German rose.