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Novak Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic has refuted reports that the Serb was not healthy during his Australian Open semifinal loss to eventual champion Jannik Sinner last month.
The World No. 1 - a record 10-time champion at Melbourne Park - was undefeated in 10 semifinals at the tournament, but he met his match in Sinner. Djokovic won just three games in the first two sets before saving a match point in the third set tiebreak to extend the contest.
However, Sinner reasserted his ascendancy in the contest, riding a lone break of Djokovic's serve to reach his first Major final. The Italian would go on to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final, recovering from two sets down to triumph in five.
Meanwhile, the manner of Djokovic's capitulation to Sinner fuelled speculation that the Serb wasn't 100%. However, Ivanisevic has now said (via Sportklub) that that was not the case. The Croat suggested that Djokovic was simply outplayed by a better player on the day.
"Sooner or later he had to lose, we were all aware of that. It's just a shame that it happened this way, but against Sinner if you're not 100%, you have nothing to ask for," he said. "And even when you're at 100%, you can still lose. However, the whole Australian Open was somehow not right for Novak, from the first round onwards. Well, let's move on, it's nothing that tragic."
"No, nothing bothered him," Ivanisevic added. "He was healthy, but it just didn't work out. ... It can happen to him too. He is flesh and blood. On the other hand, if he should have lost to someone, then I'm glad it was Sinner."
Djokovic is 7-2 on the season while the new Australian Open champion Sinner is a perfect 7-0.
What's next for Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner?
Following his loss in the Australian Open semifinal, Novak Djokovic is set to return to action at the year's first ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, as per his website.
The action in the desert starts on March 6, which means the Serb will have more than a month's break. Djokovic is a record five-time champion at Indian Wells but has not played the last three editions due to his COVID-19 vaccination status. The tournament was not played in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, World No. 4 Jannik Sinner is expected to return to action in Rotterdam, an ATP 500 tournament, which begins on February 12.
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