The Serbian ace missed out on the 100th ATP title of his career after losing in straight sets to Jannik Sinner in the Shanghai Masters final on Sunday (13.10.24) but insists that he will come back stronger after a tough 2024 in which he has not won a tournament on tour.

Djokovic told reporters: "Comparing to most of my seasons throughout my career this has been one of my worst in terms of results.

"But it was going to come at some point where I wouldn't win Slams and maintain that highest level for so many years in a row.

"And that's okay, I'm happy with my gold medal from the Olympics. That was the main goal for this year.

"Of course, I wish I'd got a Grand Slam title but it is what it is. It's the kind of season you just have to embrace, and I'm more than happy with what I've achieved throughout my career."

Despite the defeat, Djokovic was encouraged by his performance against Sinner and thinks it shows that he can still compete at the highest level.

The 24-time major champion said: "I think I've achieved all the biggest goals in my career. Right now it's about Slams and seeing how far I can push the bar for myself.

"As long as I perform the way I performed this week, I can go toe-to-toe with the big guys. As long as that's the case I'll still feel the need to keep competing. Let's see how long that's going to last for.

"Big credit to Jannik for playing the bigger points better than me. He deserved to win, he was just too strong in important moments.

"Nevertheless, I still played pretty good, which gives me reason to believe that I can still play with these guys who are the best in the world. Hopefully I can maintain that level for the upcoming months."