Novak Djokovic: Lost my nerve in important moments
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Novak Djokovic hailed US Open winner Stan Wawrinka as a complete player while stressed that failing to hold his nerve during the final had acted against him. The two-time Champion also spoke about his niggling shoulder injury which had troubled him throughout the tournament.
It was hard for World No.1 Novak Djokovic to match the brilliance of his Swiss opponent Stanislas Wawrinka, on Sunday, but the Serb was quick to point out his mistakes during the match as the mental aspect game was more of a hindrance than the physical problems he faced over the course of the US Open.
"I lost my nerve in the important moments. He kept his cool. I think that's what decided the match. I guess sometimes it happens, even though you have the experience and know what to do." said Djokovic after the match.
The 29-year old also admitted that Wawrinka was better than him during certain periods of the game, taking away the match from him.
"Just the heat of the moment and importance of the match, I guess, you know, was too strong for me at certain periods of the match. Just if you lose your cool, the match can go away," reported ToI.
Djokovic has also praised his opponent following his US Open victory, hailing the Swiss as a complete player.
“He loves to play in the big matches. He comes up with his best game. He's a very complete player. Sometimes if he feels right he doesn't miss much and makes a lot of winners and it's hard to play him. That's what happened today.”
An injury to the right shoulder almost forced the two-time US Open Champion out of the tournament, while broken toenails forced him to get treatment on the sidelines during the final.
"Some other injury was very serious at the time. I really didn't know whether or not I'm going to come, to be honest. It was just the toenails were off and bleeding(during the final). Yeah, it was quite painful to move around," said Djokovic.
Speaking about the technical aspect of the final game, the Serb said, “I made a lot of double faults throughout this tournament. I was struggling with the motion, with the movement and on the serve, with the technique.
Despite losing out on a chance at winning his third US open title, Djokovic expressed his satisfaction on winning four Grand Slams.
"Winning four Grand Slams in a row for me was an incredible achievement. I'm very proud of it, so this loss today cannot overshadow the great moments I have had in Australia and especially in Paris,” he said.
