"I'm trying to improve my game": Novak Djokovic refuses to change change despite suffering first-round exit from Qatar Open

Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic has opened up about suffering a defeat in the first round of the Qatar Open. The 37-year-old, who is regarded as the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles, has suffered a shocking defeat in the opening round of the event in Doha in straight sets to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini with a score of 7-6, 6-2.

Talking after the match, Djokovic, who was playing his first professional match after suffering an injury during the Australian Open semifinal, admitted that he was nowhere near good enough against an opponent who was on the top of his game that day.

"I didn't feel any pain or discomfort," he said. "I was outplayed by a better player today. Yes, I wasn't at the level I wanted to be, and I might not move the way I want to, but I played without pain, so there's no excuse for that. He was simply the better player, tactically, on serve, so it's a very deserved win from him.”

Djokovic also went on to explain that his game has not changed and will not change drastically, even though he has found it hard to produce good results consistently in the recent past. "I'm trying to improve my game, like everyone else," he said. "But my game is not going to change radically. I'm not going to play serve-and-volley, maybe from time to time, but my game is what it is, the essentials will be the same. I'm going to try to adapt depending on the surface I'm playing on and so on. Things are not the same as 10 or 15 years ago, there are more injuries. I always try to take care of my body on a daily basis, and it's more difficult today, without a doubt. I always try to do my best, given the circumstances."