Standing as the title favorites, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic failed to reach the Masters 1000 semi-final, leaving the young guns in the title chase.
Returning to action this week, Rafa and Novak made a winning start in Barcelona and Belgrade, hoping to chase the title and bounce back after early losses. Speaking about them, Novak said that he and Rafa still want to play on a high level and challenge the upcoming youngsters. One loss here and there doesn't mean much, and Novak is sure they will bounce back and stay competitive for a few more years.
"We probably made a lot of people think that we can play perfect tennis every single week for the rest of our lives, but that's not possible. I don't think there is anything strange; it's just a bad week. If our opponents have a very good day, they can beat us; simple as that. I think Rafa, myself and Roger have been very successful and dominant in the past 15 years or more. You have a new generation of tennis players coming up, and we have to adapt ourselves.
We have to understand how to improve, get better, and adjust our game to this new group of players who are challenging us for the world's top spots and the world's biggest trophies. I'm not too concerned, especially when it comes to Rafa on clay. I don't think one or two matches or two weeks will change the way he plays on clay or for the upcoming tournaments.
But obviously, it's interesting for our sport to see us losing to some new players, making things a bit more interesting for tennis fans. Obviously, we don't want to lose; I think we both want to keep that level of performance and quality of tennis high for as long as we possibly can," Novak Djokovic said.