Novak Djokovic surprisingly fell to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 during the second round of the BNP Paribas Open. Djokovic has now lost to two straight lucky losers in Indian Wells. Djokovic has also lost consecutive matches since injuring his hamstring during the Australian Open in January.
"Obviously, no excuses for a poor performance," Djokovic said, via Andrew John of the Palm Springs Desert Sun. "Just it doesn't feel great when you play this way on the court, but congratulations to my opponent. You know, just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me."
Djokovic holds a record five triumphs at Indian Wells, but has not won the match since 2016, and is 4-5 in his last nine matches.
"Being consistent for so many years, obviously you have high expectations of yourself," Djokovic said, via John. "You know, things are different obviously for me the last couple of years. I've been struggling to play on the desired level. Every now and then, I have couple good tournaments, but mostly it's really a challenge. It's a struggle for me."
Djokovic holds a record 24 grand slam titles, most recently winning the Australian Open, US Open, and French Open in 2023. Though considered one of the greatest tennis players ever, Djokovic has not met his typical dominance over the last two years, and will now have to regroup following a surprisingly early exit from Indian Wells.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Novak Djokovic Has Honest Reaction After Surprising Early Exit From Indian Wells.
