Novak Djokovic has reacted to his surprising Australian Open exit, admitting his loss to Jannik Sinner was "one of the worst" grand slam performances of his storied career.
The world No.1 was blown away by the Italian rising star in the first two sets, before managing to bounce back and force a fourth.
But the youth and speed of Sinner proved too much for Djokovic to overcome, resulting in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 loss on Rod Laver Arena.
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Speaking to the media post-match, Djokovic admitted his title defense went up in flames for a myriad of reasons – but managed to pay credit to his opponent after a classy display.
"I want to congratulate Sinner for playing a great match, great tournament so far – he's deservedly in the finals," Djokovic said.
"He outplayed me completely today.
"I was, in a way, shocked with my level … in a bad way. There was not much I was doing right in the first two sets.
"I guess this is one of the worst grand slam matches I've ever played – at least that I remember.
"Not a very pleasant feeling playing this way, but at the same time, credit to him for doing everything better than me in every aspect."
Djokovic looked to have broken the rut towards the end of the third set, with a lengthy stoppage for a medical situation in the crowd allowing the reigning champion to emerge from a tie-breaker.
And while his resilience was on full display as the match progressed, Djokovic acknowledged it may have been too little, too late and ultimately fell short of an 11th Australian Open title.
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"I tried, I fought," he said.
"I managed to kind of raise the level a little bit in the third, saved match point, played a good tiebreak.
"But again, the fourth set, a very bad game to lose. 40-0 up on 1-2, and kind of against the wind a little bit.
"Overall, the performance-wise level of my tennis was really not great. I guess in those moments you just try to find the serenity, but at the same time try to uplift yourself and your game.
"That's what I tried [to do]."
A dejected Djokovic also thanked the fans at Rod Laver Arena for showing plenty of love towards both players.
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