The Hindu : Sport : Djokovic takes defeat in his stride

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Djokovic takes defeat in his stride

— PHOTO: AFP

LIFE IS NO JOKE, BUDDY: Roger Federer (right) consoles Novak Djokovic after the Roland Garros semifinal on Friday.

Paris: Novak Djokovic tried to forget his disappointment after losing his chance to continue his winning streak and take the ATP top ranking for the first time after going out in his French Open semifinal to Roger Federer.

Instead of moping, the Serb hit the streets of Paris with his posse to loosen up and start to think about the grass campaign.

He tweeted a picture to prove it only hours after the match. But Djokovic has decided to play Wimbledon without the benefit of a tune-up event after withdrawing from Queen's next week, preferring to rest.

The loss to Federer ended Djokovic's chances of tying the all-time best start to a season, 42 straight wins achieved by John McEnroe in 1984.

The Serb, who ironically could take over the top ranking spot from Rafael Nadal if Federer beats the Spaniard in the Roland Garros final, admitted it was not easy to go down, but it is a fact of life that he must accept.

“It was a great tournament. It was best five months of my life, my tennis career.

“I cannot complain. It was definitely an incredible period. It had to end somewhere. I knew it was coming. Unfortunately, it came in a bad moment.

“But, look, it's sport. I will keep on working hard."

Murray looks to down time with his dogs at home.

Andy Murray hopped the Eurostar only hours after his French Open semifinal loss to Rafael Nadal, determined to spend at least a few quiet days at home before the grass season starts. The Scot has yet to fully decided on his participation at next week's Queen's club event after his ankle injury in Paris.

“I'll have to wait and see what happens with Queen's, I'm not 100 per cent sure if I'll play there or not.

“I'll have to see how I feel the next couple of days when I get off the painkillers and stuff and see how my body gets rid of the anti-inflammatory tablets, and see how I'm feeling.”

He told his BBC blog: “I'm looking forward to having a few days at home as I haven't been there much since before Madrid last month, just a couple of days.

The peace and quiet might actually be a good thing with another exciting few weeks coming up.

Murray is keen to bond with his new dog Rusty, companion to Maggie, his first pet.

“I guess people will think I've got a great chance at Wimbledon.

“You might think that adds pressure but I can tell you, it's a much better position to be in than the way I was feeling after losing in Australia at the start of the year.” — DPA

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