This is not how Novak Djokovic had imagined his first match on European territory since December 3, 2021 (Davis Cup in Madrid). The tennis world number one stumbled over the opening hurdle in his adopted home of Monte Carlo – in front of his parents, his wife and his son. “I wasn’t good enough, but my opponent was excellent,” said the 34-year-old Serb about the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (WRL No. 46), who scored 6: 3, 6: 7 (5), 6: 1 -Success in the round of 16 of the glamorous ATP Masters 1000 event on the Cote d’Azur.
This is a sensation, especially since Davidovich Fokina had absolutely no chance in the two previous duels last year. In Rome and at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the 22-year-old Iberian only won a total of seven games, this time he turned the tables completely.
Djokovic, whom the fans around the Court Rainier III. gave a warm welcome, looked tired in the third set. The 20-time Grand Slam champion also lacks match practice. After the turbulence surrounding his performance in Melbourne (ban on starting at the Australian Open due to a violation of corona regulations), Djokovic only has four ATP matches in his legs this year. Three in Dubai, where he lost to Jiri Vesely (Cze/WRL No. 73) in the quarter-finals at the end of February, and this one in Monte Carlo. The calendar year 2022 is not under a good star.
The critics give each other the handle. One of them is the Chilean Marcelo Rios. The “Djoker” has damaged its image, said the former number 1 in the world. “He ruined the race for the title of the best player of all time – because of a vaccination. If you jeopardize that then you must be the king of the stupid.”
Source: Nachrichten
