Novak Djokovic experienced the unparalleled high of lifting yet another trophy aloft earlier this week, but was brought crashing back down to earth earlier today.
After all, having rushed from Beijing to Shanghai in an effort to continue his fine form, the 39-year-old ran into a 6-foot-5 barrier in the form of Hubert Hurkacz, who was flawless as he claimed victory in straight sets.
Throughout the match, Novak Djokovic looked tired and leggy as he regularly bent over to catch his breath.
These kinds of physical struggles have become a common feature of most of his matches, but it seemed particularly troubling today on the lightning-fast courts of the Shanghai Masters.
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Speaking to the press afterwards, Djokovic was brief as he rushed through the mixed zone.
All he offered was a quick summation of his loss, and an update on what his schedule looked like for the rest of the year.
Novak Djokovic speaks after losing to Hubert Hurkacz in Shanghai
Asked to sum up his performance, particularly in relation to his recent wins in Beijing, Djokovic admitted: “I wasn’t close to what I was playing in Beijing. I’m slightly more tired, not fresh. Hubi was serving very big and, you know, I didn’t feel myself on the court in terms of feeling the ball. It’s a super quick surface, completely different from Beijing.
“Yeah, if you lose your serve, it’s enough to lose the match, just once per set. That’s what happened. It’s very difficult to return his serve, almost impossible; he was serving big. So, yeah, I didn’t adjust, and it was a really tough draw for me to play him in the first match here.”
All in all, his trip to China has to be viewed as a positive, despite this early exit.
The Serbian agreed, as he claimed: “Yeah, yeah, Beijing was great. A very early exit here, but it’s okay. I’ve had a great week in Beijing, and I look forward to rest a little bit and get ready for indoor.”
If Djokovic really wants to qualify for the ATP Finals, he will now have to make an appearance at the Paris Masters. He finished by detailing his plans for the rest of the year: “Yeah, yeah. I’m planning only to play in Paris or, let’s see. Hopefully, I can have a good result there.”
Hubert Hurkacz becomes fourth man in history to accomplish incredible Big Three feat
Whilst many will look to Djokovic’s failing physicality as a reason for his shock loss, it must be noted that Hurkacz performed admirably once again.
The Polish giant put in a typically supreme serving performance, and with this as a platform, success almost feels guaranteed.
And, in finally snapping an eight-match losing streak against the 24-time Grand Slam champion on these hard courts, he has another record to boast.
He is now one of just four men to have beaten the Big Three on their respective favoured surfaces: Djokovic on hard, Rafael Nadal on clay, and Roger Federer on grass.
The other three are Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev.
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