Novak Djokovic admits lack of match play can be a concern moving forward as uncertainty over his schedule looms ahead due to his inability to enter many tournaments without being vaccinated.

The Serb fell in the Dubai quarter-finals on Thursday to Czech world No.123 Jiri Vesely and as a result, lost his number one ranking to Daniil Medvedev, who is set to replace Djokovic at the top on Monday.

Djokovic, who was competing in his first tournament of the season after being deported from Australia last month, gave credit to Vesely, who consistently put pressure on him during his service games.

However, he added: “I’m lacking a little bit of the match play. You can see that; I’m still finding the groove on the court.”

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