Novak Djokovic raises suspicions after smiling 'too much' in press conference

Eyebrows have been raised about what is going on with Novak Djokovic - after he was accused of "smiling too much."

The 37-year-old was surprisingly ousted in the second round at Indian Wells, by Botic van de Zandschlup, who clinched a surprising 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win in California last weekend.

This loss marks Djokovic's third in a row, coming after his Australian Open withdrawal against Alexander Zverev and a defeat to Matteo Berrettini at the Qatar Open. Alarmingly for the Serbian, winner of 24 Grand Slams, this is his first trio of consecutive losses in seven years.

Despite the setback, Djokovic was all smiles during his post-match press conference. And that's led former pro CoCo Vandeweghe to suggest that his confidence might be diminishing and that the old hunger may have been lost.

"The question arises - is Novak Djokovic getting too used to defeats?" pondered the American on the Tennis Channel. "It's a strange feeling for a player when he loses a few times like this, and then you see him in the press conference smiling a little too much, and you wonder - is he not as mentally strong as before."

Vandeweghe said it would be foolish to write "the greatest tennis player of all time" off, but insisted that his form in recent Masters tournament is a bit of a red flag.

"I wonder if we're getting too used to others beating him at the Masters," she said. "We know that Novak is focusing on the Grand Slams, but are we going to relax too much and maybe it will be reflected in the Slams as well?"

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

Despite his cheerful exterior, Djokovic couldn't conceal his frustration with his performance, having made 37 unforced errors. He also criticised the on-court conditions after organisers decided to resurface the courts ahead of the tournament.

"You know, I regret for the level of tennis, considering how I practice these days," Djokovic said.

"To be honest, the difference between the centre court and the other courts is immense. Ball is bouncing on the centre courts higher than some of the highest clay courts, to be honest. I just struggled a lot with that, couldn't find the rhythm."

He further added: "Things have been different for me in the last few years, I'm struggling to play at the level I want. I have a few good tournaments every now and then, but mostly it's a challenge and torture for me. That's how it is. Nothing can prepare you for such a moment, you have to go through that experience and deal with it in the best way possible."

Djokovic is on the brink of making history, being just one Grand Slam win away from surpassing the all-time record of 24, a record he currently holds with Margaret Court.

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