“Not a big deal” Paul Annacone ‘not shocked’ by Novak Djokovic’s early exit in the Monte Carlo Masters
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Paul Annacone and Novak Djokovic
Following Novak Djokovic‘s second-round exit from the 2022 Monte Carlo Masters, Roger Federer‘s longtime coach Paul Annacone said that the loss wasn’t a “huge problem.” On Tuesday, the world No. 1 lost his second-round match to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 6-3 6-7(5) 6-1, in his first encounter in 47 days.
Due to his lack of vaccinations, Djokovic has been unable to compete for the majority of this season, missing the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Miami. The Monte Carlo Masters was only his second tournament of the year, following Dubai in February, and the Serb’s lack of match play showed, as he lost back-to-back matches for the first time since July of last year.
After losing in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Championships to qualifier and eventual runner-up Jiri Vesely on February 24, the world No. 1 lost in Monte Carlo, admitting to “totally collapsing” physically due to his lack of competitive action. While the loss has been seen as evidence of the 34-year-rustiness, a prominent tennis instructor has downplayed the outcome, admitting it isn’t a “huge problem.”
Novak Djokovic’s early elimination from the Masters in Monte Carlo alarmed his supporters, as well as many others in the tennis world. There are, however, individuals who are unconcerned and Annacone, the former coach of Federer and Pete Sampras is one of them.
Paul Annacone isn’t too worried about Novak Djokovic
The defeat of Djokovic, according to current coach Taylor Fritz, should not cause too much controversy. He said, “I’m not worried about Novak’s game. He just needs to get into the routine of playing matches. I don’t think that’s a big deal at all. He had a hard time dealing with the wind. I’m not really worried about his game, he just had to get the match reps up. I just think it’s not a big deal. He doesn’t want to lose but he wants to make sure he’s playing his best tennis at Roland Garros,” said Annacone.
After the match, Djokovic stated that his objective is to improve his form in the upcoming events so that he can come to Paris as prepared as possible to defend his championship in May. Djokovic was broken nine times, the most he’s ever had in a best-of-three set match, and he looked flat and lifeless in only his fourth match of the season.
As he battled on the match court, he subsequently conceded that Davidovich Fokina had simply been the superior player. Djokovic will have a chance to win as soon as next week at the 2022 Serbia Open, which will be hosted at his own Novak Tennis Centre in Belgrade. “Of course, Novak does not want to lose, what he wants and plans is to play his best tennis when he is at Roland Garros,” Annacone concludes.
Do you think Djokovic will retain his best form to defend the French Open title, or will it be some rising star who will claim the title after all? Guess fans will have to wait and watch what is going to happen.
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Harini Mahesh
(159 Articles Published)