Novak Djokovic has played some of the best tennis of his life in 2020 but he regrets the failure to win either the US Open or the French Open in his bid to become the world’s most trophy-laden player, the world number one said yesterday.
Having won the Australian Open in January, Djokovic was disqualified at the US Open after inadvertently hitting a line judge in the neck with a petulant swipe of the ball during his fourth-round clash with Pablo Carreno Busta.
He was then blown away by Carreno Busta’s Spanish compatriot and world number two Rafael Nadal in straight sets at Roland Garros. Djokovic has 17 Grand Slam titles while Nadal and Federer are on 20 each after the Spaniard clinched a record 13th French Open title.
“There is a lingering regret that I didn’t win either the US Open or the Roland Garros this year,” a bearded Djokovic told reporters in drenching sun at his tennis academy in downtown Belgrade by the Danube river. “I was in outstanding form at both events but having reached the French Open final, I was beaten by a player who was much better on the day. I was below par and that’s it. As far as the US Open is concerned, I got myself into an unfortunate situation and was disqualified, but I won several other big tournaments. The US Open disqualification notwithstanding, I have only lost one match all season and I’ve played some of the best tennis of my life.”
Djokovic dismissed suggestions he was under intense pressure to overhaul Nadal and Federer in their three-way race to become the greatest male player of all time. “Pressure has been a part of my life for a long time and I’ve learned how to deal with it,” he said.
“It comes with the territory if you are a top-level athlete and it can also galvanise you. You take physical and mental knocks along the way but it’s all part of the learning curve. If I retired now I’d be happy with everything I have achieved but I still enjoy competing and every tournament I enter gives me so much motivation and joy.”

Zverev stays on course 
for Cologne double
Fresh from winning the ATP tournament in Cologne last weekend, Germany’s Alexander Zverev reached the quarter-finals of the second week on the Rhine with a tough, three-set triumph over John Millman of Australia on Wednesday.
Zverev, 23, ranked seventh in the world, needed nearly two hours to post a 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 victory over the 31-year-old Millman. “In the first set I thought I played flawlessly, but then I wasn’t focused at the beginning of the second,” Zverev admitted. “John is someone who has beaten top players before, I thought I did a poor job serving, but got the win somehow.”
The German top seed will meet France’s Adrian Mannarino in tiday’s quarter-finals. Germany’s seventh-seed Jan-Lennard Struff beat Italy’s Marco Cecchinato 6-3, 6-1 in the first round. Cologne’s Lanxess Arena is hosting back-to-back ATP events.
Zverev defeated Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime last weekend in the final of the first event. The 20-year-old Canadian, whose defeat to Zverev was his sixth straight defeat in an ATP final, recovered from losing the first set to seal a 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4) second-round win over Egor Gerasimov of Belarus late Wednesday.

Related Story