Top-ranked Novak Djokovic said that he spent most of his time rehabilitating his right ankle after his title win at Monte Carlo Masters thus lacked hitting practice in the process. He admitted that it became a factor in his surprise 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 loss to Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov at his second round match at the Madrid Masters 2013 on Tuesday night.
“For 12 days after Monte Carlo, I haven’t touched the racquet… I didn’t prepare myself so well,” he said. “But I’m not trying to find any excuses for the loss. I tried to do my best… All the credit also to Dimitrov, because he was the better player on the court. He was striking the ball really well, serving great, changing the pace and he deserved to win.”
Djokovic is aiming to win a second consecutive ATP Masters 1000 claycourt title. He lost in earlier rounds in the same tournament last year when it was played in controversial blue claycourts.
The loss won’t hamper Djokovic’s stay in the top ranking. However, he has opened possibilities for his rivals to close in on the rankings with the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal all eager to perform well in this tournament.
