Novak Djokovic upbeat despite shock Qatar defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut

Alex Fisher

Novak Djokovic upbeat despite shock Qatar defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut image

Novak Djokovic was pleased with his week at the Qatar Open even though he bowed out at the semi-final stage on Friday. 

The world number one was looking to becoming a three-time champion at the event in Doha but was unable to get past Roberto Bautista Agut in the last four, the Spaniard coming from a set down to win 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4. 

Defeat saw Djokovic's 13-game winning run in Qatar come to an end, but he was not too frustrated – even if he did smash a racket in the second set – as he continues to prepare for the first grand slam of the season. 

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"I want to congratulate him," said Djokovic. "Especially in the third set he played well. I thought he was hitting the ball very cleanly and not making a lot of errors. 

"He played a good game. I missed some easy balls and that's what you get as a result of losing the focus in the most important moments. And it happens, it happens. 

"[But] this is what I was looking forward to, to get from this tournament, as many matches as possible, to get ready for the Australian Open. So I'm very pleased. 

"Obviously, I'm not pleased that I lost the match today, but I lost to a better player in the end and I have to turn the next page. 

"I was very close to winning the match. A few points decided the winner. He was the one." 

 

Alex Fisher