Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Djokovic keen to turn the page after Indian Wells exit

Mar 12, 2019; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Novak Djokovic (SRB) during his third round match against Philipp Kohlschreiber (not pictured) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Jayne Kamin-Oncea

(Reuters) - World number one Novak Djokovic struggled to find an explanation for his shock third round defeat by German Philipp Kohlschreiber at the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday, saying he wanted to quickly "turn the next page".

Kohlschreiber, 35, stunned the top seed and five-times former champion 6-4 6-4 in Indian Wells, leaving the Serb to conclude it had just been "one of those days".

"To be honest, I don't enjoy losing, nobody does, but especially in a tournament like this, a tournament where I have had plenty of success in the past," Djokovic told reporters.

Mar 12, 2019; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Novak Djokovic (SRB) during his third round match against Philipp Kohlschreiber (not pictured) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Jayne Kamin-Oncea

"I thought I was in good form. I was practicing well. But it just happens, one of those days. You just have to deal with it, move on, turn the next page."

The tournament in Indian Wells was Djokovic's first since winning his seventh Australian Open title in January and the 31-year-old said he had already put the defeat behind him and turned his thoughts to next week's Miami Open.

"I had to get over it in an hour, because I played doubles," Djokovic added. "I must admit I was thinking about it... but it's part of our world, and we just have to bounce back very quickly.

Mar 12, 2019; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Novak Djokovic (SRB) breaks his racket after losing the first set of his third round match against Philipp Kohlschreiber (not pictured) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Jayne Kamin-Oncea

"Miami is the next tournament singles-wise for me. I'm not at my highest level, I know that... but hopefully I'll be able to peak in Miami."

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, Editing by Simon Jennings)

Mar 12, 2019; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) in his third round match as he defeated Novak Djokovic (not pictured) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Jayne Kamin-Oncea
Mar 12, 2019; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) celebrates after winning his third round match to defeat Novak Djokovic (not pictured) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Jayne Kamin-Oncea
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.