Wimbledon - Djokovic downbeat on chances

Eurosport - Mon, 15 Jun 17:05:00 2009

World number four Novak Djokovic wrote off his Wimbledon chances after slumping to a 6-3 6-7(4) 6-1 defeat to Germany's Tommy Haas in the ATP Halle grasscourt final.

TENNIS 2009 Novak Djokovic - 0

The Serbian, who was top seed in the absence of Roger Federer, had made hard work of beating qualifier Olivier Rochus from Belgium in his semi-final and his faltering form continued on grass with Wimbledon just a week away.

"Because I went out early there last year and because I didn't play at my top-level here, I would definitely not rate myself as a favourite for the title in London," said former Australian Open champion Djokovic.

"One of the good things I will take out of this week is the practice I got for Wimbledon.

"There's a lot of things I should have done better against Tommy. You don't have much chance if you return like that against an aggressive player like him."

Haas admitted he would be leaving Halle with a smile on his face after winning his first tournament since Memphis in 2007 and having also defeated top-ten player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round here.

"It is unbelievable - I feel really good and I will leave Halle with a smile on my face," admitted Haas in front of a delighted crowd with Wimbledon set to start on June 22.

"When I travelled here, I would have never believed that I would end the week with the title. To win in front of German fans against a player like Novak is fantastic, especially in a final.

"I will enjoy this moment, because you never know how many more of them will come.

"I am not thinking about Wimbledon yet, but the tournament victory will of course give me a lot of confidence."

AFP

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  1. Djoko is playing reverse psychology here... I m not­ sure this will help him though!!!

    From Ehsaan J, on Mon 15 Jun 5:59AM

  2. Changed his racket for money and hasn't really been­ the same since.

    From Jamie C, on Mon 15 Jun 1:56AM
  3. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Serbian tennis is now in the toilet,from JJ ANA,TIPSY­ NOW JOKO

    From susan, on Sun 14 Jun 11:03PM

  4. Igor,a surprisingly realistic comment from you,i dont­ mean to be rude either,its just that you wrote some­ bizarre comments about Federer in the French,im glad­ you are back with us on planet Earth.You have proved­ that you are capable of writing superb posts,keep it up­ Igor.And yes,i also believe that Madrid had an adverse­ effect on Nadal and Djoko.

    From carlos480bc, on Sun 14 Jun 10:16PM

  5. Guys I agree with you , this Madrid Final with Nadal­ really strucked Novak`s self confidence .. Nadal also­ suffered I think, but Novak, obviously was concentrated­ for big matches,.he was fitting hard , really hard to­ win Nadal on clay, also last year, also big­ disappointment he suffered … so so close.. one proper­ match ball against NAdal and everything woud have ben­ diferent..
    He can surprise on Wimbledon yes, but­ something has to be changed in his approach.. grass­ obviously suits him the least. I think he needs strong­ new team around him to wake and motivate him..­ otherwise he will have even more problems it seems..

    From Igor K, on Sun 14 Jun 9:00PM
  6. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Djokovic rules!!!

    From spetrovic72, on Sun 14 Jun 8:50PM

  7. Im looking no futher than the top 3,and if Nadal is­ injured or missing,then for me its Federer as the big­ favorite followed by Murray.Infact even if Nadal is­ present and fit,i still go for Fed,six straight finals­ tell us something.Im just not sure about Novak at the­ mo,something is wrong mentally,there are many players­ that could oust him on the grass.

    From carlos480bc, on Sun 14 Jun 8:38PM

  8. True Carlos, but a couple of good wins could make all­ the difference to him. I don't think he will win­ it, but I wouldn't fall of my chair if he did...

    From Nicholas, on Sun 14 Jun 8:18PM

  9. mmmm,hate to disagree Rc,but an awful lot of things­ would have to fall into place for Djoko to win­ Wimbledon.I have a feeling Madrid might linger on in­ his mind for a long while,and understandably so.He is­ def not on his game at the moment.

    From carlos480bc, on Sun 14 Jun 8:12PM

  10. Djokovic is certainly in with a chance of winning­ Wimbledon this year why not?

    From Nicholas, on Sun 14 Jun 7:55PM
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