ATP Tour

Djokovic on struggles with body in Tirante defeat: ‘Not an enjoyable match for me’

Novak Djokovic says that a health condition exacerbated by the Ohio heat and humidity caused him to struggle on Saturday during his second-round defeat at the Cincinnati Open.

Thiago Agustin Tirante upset the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings in a physical battle at the hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event. Djokovic made a positive start to the match but began to visibly struggle physically from around the midway point of the first set and ultimately fell to a 6-2, 4-6, 4-6 defeat.

“Congrats to my opponent,” Djokovic told members of the media after his loss to the World No. 50 Tirante. “It was not an enjoyable match for me, for sure. The way I felt. Not the first and I guess not the last time, but it is what it is.”

Djokovic was asked if it was a simple case of struggling to adapt to the testing conditions in his first match since Wimbledon in early July. But the three-time Cincinnati titlist clarified it was an underlying issue he has been dealing with for a while.

“It’s just a condition that I have, health wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years,” explained the 39-year-old. “[It causes] a lot of issues, especially when it is humid and it is hot.

“I did anticipate it [would be humid], but there are all these things, like nerves and everything involved that make it worse, and that’s what happened.”

Despite Saturday’s defeat, Djokovic still boasts an impressive 45-13 record in Cincinnati, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The three-time champion said he was unsure if he would be back to compete at the Lindner Family Tennis Center again.

“I certainly hope so, but it looks more likely not, unfortunately,” the Serbian said. “But let’s see what the future brings.”