What Novak Djokovic claimed was his big ‘weakness’ after losing his first Grand Slam final to Roger Federer

Follow us on Google Discover

In 2007, Novak Djokovic reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open after defeating David Ferrer in the semi-finals.

In the final, Djokovic faced the daunting challenge of defeating Roger Federer – the three-time defending champion in New York and a player who seemed to be an unstoppable force on the ATP Tour.

Djokovic performed admirably against Federer, but ultimately fell to a 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 loss in New York.

Federer, then the world number one, had won his 12th Grand Slam title – two shy of Pete Sampras’ record.

After the match, the Serbian star noted that Federer had bettered him in one particular area.

Novak Djokovic said he was mentally weaker than Roger Federer

Federer’s victory against Djokovic was far from a routine affair. The Swiss star was forced to come through two tiebreak sets on his way to victory in New York.

Simply put, in the biggest moments, it was Federer who performed at his best.

During his post-match press conference, Djokovic was asked if the ‘edge’ Federer had concerned his mental state rather than his shot-making abilities.

“Yeah, I think it was,” Djokovic replied.

“And I think on the important moments, especially that first set when I served 40-Love. I had wind behind me, so I was in a good position, everything was good, and then suddenly I just started making these unforced errors, which are really not understandable.

“And then I was quite nervous, a lot of pressure, and I knew that I had to make some shots. You know, obviously that was mistake because I just needed to calm down and wait for my chances, which I didn’t.

“I made a lot of first-shot unforced errors in that game. I think that was pretty crucial. I think I was mentally weaker today on that important points than he is mentally stronger. So I think it was my mistake and my weakness today.

“But, you know, it’s normal. You know, it’s a bad day about that. I mean, in general, looking at the whole US Open, I have been performing really well. Today, as well, I played a nice tennis. I had a lot of chances. I didn’t use them.

“But looking at the situation, you know, it was a first Grand Slam final for me, 23,000 people, and everybody expected a nice match. So I had quite a lot of pressure.

“But I enjoyed it. On the other hand, it was an amazing experience for me.”

The Serbian star has gone on to win 24 Grand Slam titles, his last being at the 2023 US Open.

Djokovic won his first major title at the 2008 Australian Open. Djokovic has since become the most successful player in Australian Open history, winning 10 titles in total.

Novak Djokovic’s first US Open title

In 2010, Djokovic suffered heartbreak at the US Open once again, losing to Rafael Nadal in the final.

However, one year later, he held the US Open trophy aloft.

In his first four rounds, Djokovic did not drop a single set. He defeated Conor Niland, Carlos Berlocq, Nikolay Davydenko and Alexandr Dolgopolov.

Djokovic then defeated compatriot Janko Tipsarevic in four sets, setting up a clash against Federer.

Federer looked to be in control after winning the first two sets. However, Djokovic roared back, winning the next three sets – saving two match points during this period of the contest.

In the final, Djokovic defeated second seed Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1.