Novak Djokovic had a disastrous start to the clay season as he lost to world no. 32 Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets in the Monte Carlo opener on Wednesday. The defeat came as a big setback for the Serbian as it deflated all the momentum, he gained during the Miami Open. Djokovic reached the final of the ATP tournament but suffered a woeful loss in the tournament's concluder to Jakub Mensik. Barring the final, it was a much-improved Djokovic on display in Miami, and based on the performance, he looked set to ride on the confidence but got inflicted by yet another devastating early elimination.
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Andy Roddick Weighs in on the Situation of Novak Djokovic
Former US Open winner Andy Roddick has yet again paid heed to the situation of Novak Djokovic and gave an interesting opinion. According to Roddick, Djokovic must not be looking at the bigger picture, which would be winning two majors, rather he would be more focused on attaining the peak form for the said tournaments.
“It should be viewed as normal. I don’t think that the base level for Novak for a successful year is two majors anymore. I think the question is, ‘can I build up my season? Can I peak for the majors, right? Can I be as good once as I ever was?’ Right? I think that matters a little bit more," the 2003 US Open champion said on Tennis Channel.
The former player weighed in on Serb's Monte Carlo loss and stated that it shouldn't be concerning as featuring in the tournament might not have been in his initial plans but eventually decided to take part in it because he lives across the street and would be a "paid practice."
"He’s going to reset. Next Monday, he’s still going to be in Monte Carlo training, to get ready for the clay-court season, so I don’t put a ton of stock in this," the American tennis legend added.
Djokovic, 37, is searching for the elusive 25th Grand Slam glory and his 100th title overall. He has been denied the milestone quite a few times and the pressure is building up. It will be intriguing to note how the perceived GOAT of the game will deal with this tough phase and grab the glory which is just a step away. Djokovic will feature in the Madrid Open next, which is scheduled to start on April 23.