Novak Djokovic was eliminated on Tuesday as soon as he entered the second round of the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo by the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich (46th) 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1. The world No.1 was playing his fourth match on the circuit, after the three at the ATP 500 in Dubai, since his defeat in the semi-finals of the Masters in mid-November 2021. At the end of last season, he had also reached the Davis Cup semi-finals with Serbia. Then, due to his refusal of the anti-covid vaccine, he could not play the Australian Open or the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami.
His fourth game of the year only
Dominated in almost all the compartments of the game by his opponent, who was heading for a quiet victory (6-3, 3-0), the Serb raised his level by one or two notches until snatching the second set on a marvelous forehand passing that had the center court crowd on their toes. But the improvement did not last, Djokovic seeming to dive at the start of the last round. “I didn’t like the way I felt physically at the end. We will talk about it with my team, ”he judged hot.
This elimination in the second round is his worst result in Monte-Carlo since 2016, when he gave in at this stage against the Czech Jiri Vesely. Since his second title in 2015, the Serb has not exceeded the quarters there. For his part, Davidovich will face the Briton Daniel Evans (27th) or the Belgian David Goffin (47th) in the next round.