BRISBANE, Australia (AFP) — Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic said preparations for his title defence were still on track despite a first-round loss Tuesday at the Brisbane International.
Latvian Ernests Gulbis sent the top-seeded Serb crashing out of the inaugural Brisbane tournament 6-4, 6-4.
Djokovic, who along with fellow Serb Ana Ivanovic has enjoyed top billing here, never looked comfortable against the 53rd-ranked Gulbis and later said a number of factors had played a part in his defeat.
"I didn't play at all good today and I knew that the first match was going to be a very difficult one, especially if I played against a player who doesn't give me a lot of rhythm," he said.
"I changed a lot of things so there's still some things I'm not used to and unfortunately I got this result."
He said his change of racket from Wilson to Head had upset his serving -- he only made 48 per cent of his first serves -- and admitted only arriving in Australia on Saturday had been a mistake.
"I didn't feel fresh on the court," he said.
"I didn't get a lot of practice because I came (to Australia) too late."
Djokovic has not decided whether to go straight to Melbourne to begin preparing for the Australian Open or whether to go to Sydney and take up a wildcard for next week's Medibank International.
"I'm not panicking, I'm not seriously in big doubt really -- the Australian Open is my highest goal at this time of the year and I really want to play well there," he said.
"It's all right because I have a lot of time to prepare for the Australian Open.
"It's not the end of the world. It's the first match (of the year) so I'm still trying not to be very pessimistic."
The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, begins on January 19.
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