Fortunately for him, Roland-Garros is still far away. But Novak Djokovic is definitely having a difficult start to the spring on clay. Already quickly released in Monte-Carlo by Lorenzo Musetti last week, the world number 1 experienced a small affront on Friday in the quarter-finals in Banja Luka. In the ATP 250 tournament organized by his family, the Serb suffered the law of his compatriot Dusan Lajovic, 70th in the world, in two sets (6-4, 7-6) and two and a half hours of battle. The “Djoker”, however, still has the Masters 1000 in Madrid and Rome to find his cruising speed before Roland-Garros.
Admittedly, Dusan Lajovic is not the first comer on ochre. Finalist on the Rock in 2019, he is certainly dangerous on the surface. But during his first two duels against his glorious elder, he had registered in all only… four short games (two at most in a set). This is to say if seeing a even rusty Djokovic fall under his blows was not expected. But already seriously heckled by Luca Van Assche for his entry into the running, the world number 1 is still looking for ochre.
ATP Banja Luka
Van Assche: “To compete for 2h40 with the world n°1, it gives confidence”
YESTERDAY AT 8:14 PM
A converted break point on… 16
However, Djokovic certainly thought he could get away with it. Because after being on a wire at the end of the second act – miraculously saving a break point at the net at 4-4 in particular -, it was he who obtained three equalizing balls in a set everywhere at 6 points to 3 in the tiebreak. As usual, on the edge of the precipice, he had shown an extraordinary ability to tighten the game. Enough to give his compatriot some nightmares, like so many others before him including Sebastian Korda at the very start of the season in Adelaide. Except that this time, he saw Lajovic inflict a similar disappointment on him by winning the last five points of this decisive game finally sealed 8 points to 6.
The scenario of this tie-break was finally like a game where Djokovic trembled in the hot moments, a shame for this cold-blooded predator. A statistic perfectly sums up his mistakes of the day: he only converted one break point out of … 16! But to reduce Lajovic’s performance to the feverishness of the world number 1 would be very unfair. Because the 70th at ATP held a high level of play from start to finish, recalling his great adventure in Monte-Carlo four years ago. Effective in backhand long line, able to hold the exchange but also to hurt in power from the bottom to “Nole”, he deserved his victory.
The way he saved many break points also owes nothing to chance. In these tense circumstances, he often found a nice first ball and chained to the net. Without an obvious tactical solution, Djokovic also abused the cushioning. It is also on a last attempt that he was punished by a perfect delivery along the line. The world number 1 has never tamed the Bosnian soil whose slowness he had criticized in the previous round. That’s good, Madrid conditions at altitude will be much faster. Something to put him back in the saddle…
ATP Banja Luka
Djokovic: “It’s one of the slowest courts I’ve played on”
04/19/2023 At 4:50 PM
ATP Banja Luka
Van Assche made Djokovic doubt
04/19/2023 At 4:30 PM