Shock defeat for Djokovic

Djokovic: 'Still on track'

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Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic has insisted his title defence is still on track despite a shock first-round loss at the Brisbane International.

The number one seed was sent crashing out of the tournament in straight sets by Latvian Ernests Gulbis.

Djokovic admitted that a number of different factors combined against him in his 6-4 6-4 defeat by the world number 53.

"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."

Preparation

He claimed that his change of racquet from Wilson to Head disrupted his serving and admitted that he made a mistake by leaving it until Saturday to arrive in Australia.

He said: "I didn't feel fresh on the court. I didn't get a lot of practice because I came (to Australia) too late."

However, the world number three will get the chance to redeem himself in next week's Sydney International after being given a wildcard.

"I'm very grateful to receive the wildcard to Sydney," he added. "It was disappointing to lose in Brisbane but I now have another chance for more high quality matches in Sydney.

"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 so I'm still trying not to be very pessimistic."