Djokovic: Well beaten

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Novak Djokovic admitted he was outplayed by Marat Safin after he suffered a straight-sets defeat in the second round at Wimbledon.

The third seed, widely tipped as a potential champion, lost 6-4 7-6 6-2 to the experienced Russian on Centre Court in the biggest upset of the tournament so far.

Safin, a former world number one, has made no secret of his discomfort on grass, but he produced a magnificent display to send Djokovic packing.

"It was certainly a very bad day for me. I didn't do anything that I was supposed to do," admitted the 21-year-old world number three.

"I was serving a lot of double faults (including consecutive ones on the final two points of the match), which is unusual. I was just not finding my momentum, that's all. What can I do? I mean, it's a straight-sets win. I didn't expect it.

Tired

"I'm tired mentally, it's been a long season, even though it's only halfway through. But physically I wasn't tired, and that was not the explanation why I lost today. He was just better than me on the court."

Djokovic added that he believes Safin, the 2005 Australian Open champion, is still capable of returning to the game's elite after struggling with injury in recent years.

"He's known for his mental instability in some ways. But he's still a great player. He's still not too old. He wants to get back, step it up again and try to get far in a major. This is a good way to start.

"When I was a junior I looked at him as one of the greatest players, one of the idols. I used to practice with him because we had then, and still we have, the same manager. I have a lot of respect for him. Maybe that played a role today in the match.

"It was mostly down to me. I wasn't doing anything to hurt him. Yes, he was playing well today. He didn't play extremely well, but he was playing enough to win."