Former ATP pro voices concern over Novak Djokovic’s ‘manner and attitude’ after shocking Monte Carlo Masters exit
Novak Djokovic was denied a chance to claim his 100th title by Alejandro Tabilo, who secured his second consecutive win over the Serb.
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Novak Djokovic (Image via X/NovakFanFan)
Novak Djokovic suffered a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Alejandro Tabilo in his opening round of the ongoing Monte Carlos Masters. Tabilo needed an hour and 27 minutes to knock out the two-time Monte Carlo Masters champion to schedule a third-round clash with Grigor Dimitrov.
During the match, Djokovic made 29 unforced errors. Although before starting his campaign he said he didn’t expect much from himself, the way he performed, left him utterly disappointed. Former player from France, Arnaud Clement, voiced his concerns over the way Djokovic lost the match.
The shock, ultimately, is more the manner and the attitude than the elimination itself. It’s true that we didn’t feel he was happy on the court, we didn’t feel he was fulfilled. Did he want to? We don’t know. Did he have a problem? We don’t know. But there was certainly something wrong with Novak Djokovic today. And it wasn’t simply the fact that his tennis wasn’t in place.
Arnaud Clement told Eurosport (H/T: We Love Tennis)
Djokovic was playing in the tournament to chase his 100th ATP title. He had come close to becoming the third ATP player to reach the 100-title mark when he progressed to the Miami Open final last month but Jakub Mensik denied him the win and lifted his career’s first title.
Alejandro Tabilo reveals the shot that helped him beat Novak Djokovic
Alejandro Tabilo earned his fourth top-20 win after eliminating Novak Djokovic. It was his first consecutive win since August last year.
Tabilo has also improved his head-to-head record over Nole to 2-0 as he also registered a victory when they met in the second round of the Italian Open last year. Following the win, the Chilean ace revealed which shot helped him the most in beating one of the greatest sportsmen of all time.
It’s been a tough year so a lot of nerves were there, just tried to remember last time what I did well. Thank god I served well today. It helped me a lot to regroup my game after that first game, and it was an unreal match.
Alejandro Tabilo said during his on-court interview
Tabilo’s best performance at a Masters 1000 came in 2024 when he advanced to the semifinal of the Italian Open. He has never defeated his next-round opponent Grigor Dimitrov in the previous two matches they played against each other. Dimitrov, before progressing to the third round, knocked out Nicolas Jarry and Valentin Vacherot.
Djokovic will start his preparation for the Madrid Open next. He had skipped the tournament last year. The 24-time Grand Slam champion lifted just one title last year- the gold medal at the Paris Olympics by beating Carlos Alcaraz. Had both Djokovic reached the final in The Principality, he could have scheduled a blockbuster match against the four-time Grand Slam champion.
The 37-year-old has not lifted a title since the Paris Olympics and was competing on clay for the first time since the quadrennial event. So far this season, Djokovic competed in six tournaments this season. In the tour-level singles tournament, Djokovic last won a title at the 2023 ATP Finals.
Novak Djokovic was chasing his 41st Masters 1000 title at the Monte Carlo Masters
Novak Djokovic is the winner of 40 Masters 1000 titles, the most in Men’s tennis in the Open Era. He has won eight of the nine Masters 1000 thrice.
Only at Monte Carlo, he lifted the title twice, in 2013 and 2015. Since that victory in 2015, he has been unsuccessful in progressing to the summit clash. Djokovic lifted his first title in the tournament by denying Rafael Nadal his ninth consecutive title.
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