Is Novak Djokovic’s Self-Critical Talk Seeping Into His Game?

After losing to Luca Nardi at Indian Wells, Novak Djokovic uttered the words "we move on." It could be that simple for the World No.1. However, there are also signs that something has temporarily shifted in the headspace of the 24-time Grand Slam winner. The agitation during the match was a window into that confusion upstairs.

Djokovic is the best at his sport and pretty much everything that goes around making it that way. His mental resilience and training are legendary. He 'lost' the 2019 Wimbledon final on every metric apart from the most important. His (gluten-free) diet and increased stamina stopped the quitter allegations stone dead and gave extra life in the tank to toy with opponents. Finally, the ability to "move on" after a reverse is something he carries out in practice rather than using as a hollow mantra.

There were no alarm bells for Djokovic after he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in an epic Wimbledon final last July. The gracious acceptance and the speeches by both men, dashed with the right amount of humor and respect, summed up a classic. It didn’t suggest for one minute that the old empire was ceding all major territories. The game could have gone either way. "It's not the first or the last match I lost, so I got over it in one day," the seven-time SW19 champion said. It was his first loss on Centre Court in 10 years.

The dial began to change when he succumbed to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open semis, a first Melbourne reverse in 2,195 days. It genuinely stunned him. Djokovic doesn’t lose the first two sets of a big match 6-1 6-2. “36 is the new 26,” was his battle cry during SW19 and it was believable. It still is. The only thing that has changed is the loss column and the language, normally so positive.

He was straight down the line with the version of events after his defeat in four to the new Melbourne king. “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,” said the ten-time Aussie champion. It wasn’t so much the fact that he had lost three times to the new kid on the block, but that he had played so poorly. It wasn’t even a contest at times. This is new territory.

After the defeat to Nardi, the lucky loser in California, Djokovic again vocalized something in his soul. There was an open vulnerability about transparent thought patterns and his "really bad level" said out loud. “No titles this year, that’s not something I’m used to. I was starting the season most of my career with a Grand Slam win or Dubai win or any other tournament,” the Serb brooded after going out to the the 123^rd-ranked player in the world.

After defeating Alcaraz and Sinner on the way to another record-breaking ATP Finals victory in November, the whole world was conquerable. Why not take all four Slams and an Olympics? “I know myself perfectly, I don't want to be arrogant, but I know that if I'm well physically and mentally, I'm able to do it. It also sounded unreal to win three Grand Slam titles this year.” Was it a mistake to put that out there, especially in light of not getting the bounce factor of winning his home banker down under?

Djokovic is the master of turning setbacks into fuel for reinvention. The youth want his titles but they "awaken a beast" in him. What is coming back to hurt at the moment is the negative cycle.

Nobody else is better equipped to take the information of defeat and use it as ammunition for the next big step. He is all about Grand Slams and big tournaments now as that 37^th birthday approaches in May. Skipping the Miami Open is probably a wise move. There's not a hangdog expression about the only playing member of the big three at the moment. It's just the messaging has gone downhill.

When Djokovic lost to Alex de Minaur in the Nations Cup at Perth right at the start of 2024 he wasn’t concerned. “So again, it’s never nice to lose a match, of course, but, you know, it’s not really going to stay with me much.” What happened next could linger more.