Lost in the shadow of oneself
In this match, Nole cannot blame anyone, he lost to himself before completely losing to his opponent.
Djokovic's loss was something that many people could have predicted, but losing the third set was a very alarming situation. On a windy day, Djokovic showed a weak performance, lacking determination and will which made him one of the most versatile players of the decade.
Losing a set is one of the unacceptable things for a top-class player like Nole, especially the loss to an opponent he has beaten five times. Eurosports channelLV John McEnroe said: It seems Djokovic no longer wants to play. He does not seem to have the fighting power at all.
No more wanting to play means giving up and the inevitable consequence is a humiliating failure due to lack of effort. Djokovic now seems to have touched the bottom of his career, just that bottom he does not know how deep it will be, but for now, perhaps he still does not want to overcome it rather than not being able to overcome it.
Remember the last time Nole lost a set at a Grand Slam arena was a story of 12 years ago at the US Open in 2005 in the match against Geal Monfils. But that was just a rare stumble throughout his illustrious career because after that, the Serbian tennis player rose up strongly to win the final victory after 5 sets.
So what about now? In the third set against Thiem, Nole only scored 8 points, only superficially responding before losing all but 20 minutes.
Last year, Nole was the one who made Murray dress up in the final to win the championship at Roland Garros for the first time and complete the Grand Slam collection, adding to his the Coupe des Mousquetaires concept. Along with that, he also established a strong dominance that even Roger Federer at the peak of his career would find difficult to do.
However, that glorious milestone of 2016 was also the place that witnessed Nole's decline without stopping. 12 months of sluggishness, lack of determination, lack of motivation, and lack of goals are the main factors that caused the former world No. 1 to fall into crisis when she only won 2 titles at Toronto and Doha.
What did Nole say after the failed facial show?
Nothing went as I wanted, everything was under his control (Thiem). Set 3 was so bad, but in fact, the result of the match was probably decided in set 1. I lost an important break. He absolutely deserves this victory, he is clearly the better player.
"It was the left shots that cost me a lot in set 1, but it cannot be denied that Thiem pressured me to damage myself. His spin was very heavy and he played quickly. On clay, Thiem was an extremely tough opponent, making it easy for people to lose their own pace and making it difficult to regain control of the game.
In set 2, I couldn't hit the ball accurately as I wanted, I made too many bad hits, and he played better and better. In previous tournaments, I had great matches but I was unlucky to end Roland Garros in this unwanted way. Of course, I always expect a lot from myself, but I can't do my best.
I know that and am still trying, but sometimes things do not go as I wish. Not winning any major titles is not uncommon for tennis players. All the famous tennis players have to go through that time, you can learn a lot from those failures, overcome it to become stronger. It was an extremely difficult challenge, but I am ready to challenge it, the 30-year-old tennis player said after the match.
Thus, Djokovic's unforgettable streak of achievements continued to be extended over the past year. Defeat against Dominic Thiem continues to "black" his record with many "firsts": First time losing a set at a Grand Slam since 2005, first time losing 0-3 at a Grand Slam since 2013 and being knocked out of the world's top 2 for the first time since 2011.
Responding to the press after the match, Djokovic said he was thinking about taking a few tournaments off to have time to recover his spirit and rest properly. When "failure is no longer a mother of success" but an obsession, rest is also a necessary medicine at this time instead of continuing to carry the racket to the field and bring salt to the surface. Moreover, the champions of the 12 Grand Slam titles also need more time to coordinate best with their new coach.
