Novak Djokovic says his near misses in 2013 will only spur him on next year as he looks to catch Rafa Nadal in the world rankings.
The Serb made a brilliant start to the season by claiming the Australian Open but could only look on as Nadal surprised the betting odds following his return from injury to win at both Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows.
These successes saw the Spaniard move back to the top of the standings but Djokovic didn’t take his fall from grace lightly, winning in Beijing, Shanghai and Paris in the last few weeks of the season, before claiming the ATP World Tour Finals in London earlier this month.
It all means that fans of live tennis online are set for a thrilling 2014 and the 26-year-old will feel as if he has a point to prove, following losses in the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open.
His most painful defeat however came in the last four of the French, when he went down in a thrilling five setter to Nadal, when it looked like he was finally going to win his first title on the Paris clay.
The Serbian insists that overall he is happy with his year but believes he still has plenty to work on ahead of what promises to be a magnificent 12 months.
“I think this year was very successful overall,” he told reporters. “I played consistently well throughout the year so that’s something that makes me happy.
“I had three tough losses this year in Grand Slams, so I will take my lessons from there and work on getting better.
“Losing to Rafa in the semis of the French Open was the hardest for me. I really wanted that one but it was not to be.”
