"He was better in every segment of the game" - Djokovic heaps praise on Sonego following his surprising quarterfinal loss in Vienna

World No.1 Novak Djokovic suffered just his third loss of the season on Friday at the Erste Bank Open, as the top seed was sent packing by lucky loser Lorenzo Sonego.

The Italian, ranked World No.42, required just 68 minutes to stun the Serbian 6-2 6-1 and book his spot in the semifinals. Nonetheless, Djokovic seemed to be in good spirits after the embarrassing loss.

"He just blew me off the court, that's all," Djokovic said after the match. "He was better in every segment of the game... it was a pretty bad match from my side, but amazing from his side. He definitely deserved this result."

Read also

Sonego spectacularly defeats Djokovic in Vienna, books place in Erste Bank Open semifinal

Despite the surprise loss, the Serbian is still likely to clinch the year-end No.1 ranking for a record-tying sixth time. He will skip the Paris Masters and compete at the Nitto ATP Finals in London, where he is a five-time champion.

“Looking forward to it. It’s the final tournament of the year. Obviously I’ll do my best to prepare well and have a shot at the title,” Djokovic said. “The best eight players in this season are going to be there. After Slams it’s probably the strongest event we have on our Tour, maybe the strongest because of the field of players. Every match that you get to play is against a top eight player in the world.

“I’ve had plenty of success in that arena. It’s obviously going to be different without the crowd, but hopefully I can have a strong finish.”

The 33-year old would have guaranteed himself the year-end No.1 ranking had he lifted the title in Vienna this week, but he seemed satisfied with the results.

“I came here with the intention to try to earn more points and secure the World No. 1 at the end of the year,” Djokovic said. “I’m happy, I’m pleased that I’m healthy and hopefully I can have a strong finish in London.”

“I move on completely fine with today’s result and I am looking to the next chapter.”

ATP Tour

@atptour

·Follow

Sonego with one of the shocks of the season 💪 🎥: @TennisTV | @ErsteBankOpen

Watch on Twitter

655

Reply

Copy link

Read 25 replies

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Unlock your ultimate tennis experience—subscribe today for exclusive access to top stories.

Subscribe