"The commitment to self-sabotage is immense" - Journalist Ben Rothenberg explains how Novak Djokovic had a disappointing year

With a win-loss record of 32-6 so far this season, Novak Djokovic has already won three ATP singles titles, including the Rome Masters, the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, and the Tel Aviv Open. He is one win away at the Astana Open from lifting his 90th tour title.

Journalist Ben Rothenberg, who doesn't seem to get along with Djokovic and is known for targeting him on social media, recently conducted a poll on his Twitter account. During the Serb's semi-final clash against Daniil Medvedev at the Astana Open on Saturday, Rothenberg asked his followers — which of the two players had a more disappointing 2022.

One of the tennis icon's fans responded to the journalist's tweet by enquiring how it could be disappointing when he won a Grand Slam title.

"Djokovic won a slam lol.. How is that disappointing?" a fan tweeted.

Rothenberg replied to the fan, stating that the 21-time Major winner was capable of achieving much more since he won three Grand Slam titles last year, while reaching the final of the last one.

"Because he was capable of so much more. He won three slams in 2021 and made the final of the fourth. His ranking dropped from #1 to #7. He lost his share of the men’s Slam record. Nigel Farage showed up to his house while he was being detained. It was a disappointing year," Rothenberg wrote.

It didn't stop there. Another fan suggested that he would have won the Australian and US Opens if he was allowed to play. Rothenberg agreed with the fan but also remarked that the Serb was himself responsible for the situation he finds himself in.

"Oh yeah. Djokovic is still the best player in men’s tennis, but the commitment to self-sabotage is immense," the journalist posted.

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Novak Djokovic to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Astana Open final

Stefanos Tsitsipas (L) and Novak Djokovic

In what will be their 10th meeting on the tour today, Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas will fight for the title at the Astana Open, an ATP 500 tournament being played in Kazakhstan. The Greek reached the last-two after defeating the likes of Mikhail Kukushkin, Luca Nardi, Hubert Hurkacz, and Andrey Rublev.

Meanwhile, on his way to the final, the Serb downed players like Cristian Garin, Botic van de Zandschulp, Karen Khachanov, and Daniil Medvedev. His semifinal against Medvedev ended abruptly when the Russian decided to retire after the second set. The legendary player lost the first set 6-4 but fought back in the second set to win in a tie-break.

After the match, the 35-year-old hoped that Medvedev's leg injury wasn't serious and stated that the Russian was the better player during the course of the match.

“I really hope that his injury is nothing too serious,” Djokovic said. “I know Daniil, he’s a great guy, he’s a fighter, he’s a big competitor. He wouldn’t retire a match if he didn’t feel that he could continue or if it didn't worsen his injury. He told me that he pulled an adductor muscle in his leg."

"It was such a close match, particularly in the second set. I would probably say he was a better player on the court in both sets. I was fighting and trying to find a way. I found a way to win the second, but I’m just sad for the tournament and for these people who were enjoying the battle, and for Daniil that it had to end this way," he added.