Djokovic Discusses Narrow Loss to Defending Champion Draper: Victory and Defeat Separated by Just One Point

In a men's singles spotlight match concluded early this morning Beijing time, defending champion Draper edged out five-time tournament champion Djokovic in a grueling three-set battle, ultimately winning 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) in a comeback, advancing to the quarter-finals to face two-time tournament runner-up Medvedev. According to post-match statistics, Djokovic's total points were even one more than his opponent's.

Draper

"He (Djokovic) is still one of the best players in the world," Draper said. "He is the greatest of all time, an incredible player, and also very admirable. He is someone we all, whether in the locker room or on the tour, look up to and learn from."

Djokovic and Draper delivered an outstanding 26-shot rally in the first game of the deciding set, which the ATP website even hailed as the best rally of the season. After winning this point, Djokovic lay down on the court. Despite this, the Serbian superstar still suffered a break in that game. Although he managed to break back in Draper's service game to close out the match and pushed the deciding set into a tie-break, Djokovic ultimately fell short at the final moment.

When asked about the key to deciding the match after the game, Djokovic responded succinctly and firmly: "One point. Yes, just one point." He further stated that although he won that long rally, it consumed too much energy. "After that point, I got broken. Winning that point was indeed great, but I felt completely exhausted at that moment. My condition only slightly improved near the end of the third set."

Djokovic

Reviewing the final stages of the match, Djokovic continued: "He played a bit hastily in his service game to close out the match when leading 5-4. The crowd was supporting me, I could feel that energy. At that moment, I thought maybe I could win this match. The match was extremely close, but I made a few regrettable errors on my side. In the tie-break, I led 4-3 and also had 5-5, but that's tennis."

Then Djokovic highly praised Draper's level after his comeback: "I think his level is not significantly different from what he showed before his injury. Actually, he has consistently maintained a high level. I've watched some of his matches; he also had some brilliant performances in the matches he played in Dubai. Here as the defending champion, he clearly loves the conditions here very much. It suits his playing style well. Everyone can see he performed really well, full of confidence, and he has always been confident, with very good physical condition. Overall, he is a very excellent player and a good person. I wish him all the best in the upcoming matches."

Even though he regrettably lost this match and stopped at the round of 16, Djokovic said he is still proud of his fighting spirit. "Losing such a match feels very bitter now, but I am proud that I fought until the last moment and gave everything on the court. This is something I will remember—the spirit of not giving up and striving hard. Obviously, I lost to a great player. Over the entire two-and-a-half-hour match, we were truly evenly matched. Of course, losing like this feels a bit disappointing, but it's okay. I certainly wish I could have done better, but it was indeed a brilliant battle."

(Compiled by Wang Fei, Image/Visual China Group)