“Not a big thing to worry about”- Andy Roddick believes Novak Djokovic can bounce back after shock defeat at the Monte Carlo Masters
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Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic
World No.1 Novak Djokovic crashed out in the second round of the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters after he lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The Serb was playing in just his second tournament of the year and was understandably way off pace as he lost 6-3, 6(5)-7, 6-1.
Djokovic made a shaky start to the match and was broken thrice in the first set. It was the first time he lost a set against Fokina. Their previous two clashes ended with Djokovic winning in straight sets. It wasn’t the case this time around as Djokovic was completely off his game, given he was playing in just his fourth match of the year. He was trailing 0-3 in the second set, but somehow bouched back to clinch the set in a tie-breaker, sparking hopes of a comeback. However, that soon dwindled away as Fokina completely dominated in the final set and outplayed the Serb to notch up the biggest win of his career so far.
“I don’t think Novak moved well today“: Andy Roddick
After the match, Djokovic admitted that he couldn’t keep up with the pace of the game and ran out of gas at the end. Former World No.1 Andy Roddick said the lack of match practice hurt the Serb’s chances. Djokovic was playing in just his fourth match of the year and was spent by the final set, given clay is such a physically demanding surface. Roddick said Djokovic winning his first match on return was a big ask within itself
“You can’t fake tournament wraps. You could play five hours of practice but when you get the adrenaline and the nerves, it is its own kind of exhaust mechanism. And we haven’t dealt with that recently. He is very short on matches since the US Open last year. So it was a big ask. What Novak was hoping to do was turn it around and survive this match and find his game later, ” Andy Roddick said in an interview with the Tennis Channel.
Roddick said the World No.1 was rusty and couldn’t move well on the court, but said it isn’t a big deal and could be solved by playing more tournaments and getting match practice in time for his title defense at the French Open.
“Also when you’re coming back and when you are Novak, the last thing was blustery conditions. I don’t think Novak moved well today. He was lunging a lot more than normal. He wasn’t quite there, not a big thing to worry about. All to be expected but expect him to maybe sneak in another tournament or two to play a little bit of a heavier schedule until he finds his footing. Obviously, the goal being Roland Garros,” he added.
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T Rushitha
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