Novak Djokovic remained tight-lipped over the evident eye issue that came into notice during the Miami Masters final, where the Serb lost to Jakub Mensik in two consecutive tiebreaks. Djokovic reasoned his silence to the notion that he does not want to "look for excuses" for a surprise defeat.
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Novak Djokovic Remains Silent Over Eye Issue
It did not take long for the fans to notice that something was off with Novak Djokovic in the Miami Open 2025 final. The are below Djokovic's right eye was swollen and when he used eye drops during the contest, the doubts of the fans became further solidified. While the 24-time Grand Slam champion was ever competitive, he did not have his best day at the office, which came as a stroke of good luck for the 19-year-old in front of him.
Mensik held his own till the end and reaped the dividend in the form of his first Masters title.
"I really prefer not to talk about -- there is quite a few things, but I prefer not to... just congratulate him. That's it. I don't want to sound like I'm giving excuses here for my loss," the 37-year-old said afterwards when asked directly about his eye problem.
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Competitive Djokovic Could Not Win On 'Weird Day'
Djokovic, who is a 6-time champion of the Miami Open, did not divulge much about his eye issue but did admit that he did not feel his best on the court, attributing it as a "weird day"
"It's unfortunate for me. Two tiebreaks, just a very weird match, a weird day with rain delay and all the things that were happening. Honestly, I didn't feel my greatest on the court, but it is what it is. Nothing to take away from his victory," Djokovic said.
The loss against Mensik has kept Novak at 99 overall titles. Prior to the final, he was vocal about how desperately he wanted to win the final and achieve the massive milestone. He would now have to quickly brush aside the disappointment of Miami and focus on the upcoming clay season.