Beaten champion Novak Djokovic admitted he was “not really 100%” during his shock Wimbledon defeat by Sam Querrey.
In one of the tournament’s biggest upsets, he was beaten 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-5) in a third-round match which stretched two days after rain delays.
Djokovic, seeking a calendar-year Grand Slam, appeared out of sorts but afterwards did not want to detract from his opponent’s triumph.
“It’s not a place and time to talk about it,” he said on his performance.
The 2016 Australian and French Open champion said he was hurt by his exit, but added: “I managed to win four Grand Slams in a row over two different seasons. I want to focus on that rather than on failure.”
Asked if he was concerned in any way coming into the match after racking up an Open-era record of 30 consecutive Grand Slam match wins, Djokovic said: “No. Why would I be?”
When it was suggested that he didn’t seem himself during practice on Court 14 earlier in the day, the 29-year-old replied: “I just said I don’t want to talk about it. Please respect that. Thank you.”
Some observers took that to mean the 12-time Slam winner might be hiding an injury or another issue, while others pointed to tennis etiquette of not taking away from an opponent’s triumph.
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Source: BBC