"I lost to a better player today" - Novak Djokovic after Roland Garros exit

Novak Djokovic battled hard but came up short against Rafael Nadal in a solid effort but one that featured far from his best.

It was a disappointing thing for Djokovic who was oddly accepting of it both during the match and after the match. There was very little anger from Djokovic considering the magnitude of the match. It was like as if he knew he could not win the match:

“He showed why he's a great champion. You know, staying there mentally tough and finishing the match the way he did. Congrats to him and his team. No doubt he deserved it… I lost to a better player today.”

Speaking further, Novak said:

“He was a better player, I think, in important moments. I was gaining momentum as I was coming back in the second set, managed to win the second set, and I thought, ‘Okay, I'm back in the game’. But then he had another two, three fantastic games at the beginning of the third. He was just able to take his tennis to another level in those, particularly moments at the beginning of all sets, actually, except the fourth. I had my chances in the fourth. Served for the set, couple set points. Just one or two shots could have taken me into a fifth. Then it's really anybody's match.”