Serbia's Novak Djokovic wears a face mask as he listens to the national anthems prior to a Davis Cup group F match between Serbia and Austria in Innsbruck, Austria, Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. (Photo/Michael Probst)
The World No.1 Novak Djokovic lost to unseeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 3-6, 7-6, 1-6 at the Monte Carlo Masters
Novak Djokovic is struggling to find his touch and has had a very underwhelming 2022 so far. The Serbian has missed multiple top rated tournaments this year due to his vaccination status which even saw him lose his No.1 spot to Daniil Medvedev for a brief period. However, he is back as the World No.1 but has failed to do justice to his ranking in the tournaments he played.
Earlier this year, Djokovic participated in the Dubai Tennis Championships. He joined as the top seed but lost in the quarter-finals to unseeded Jan Vesely. The Serbian was then out of action from the ATP tour for two months. He was not allowed to participate in the Indian Wells Masters and Miami Open for not being vaccinated against Covid-19. Playing after a gap of two months, Djokovic failed to find his rhythm in the Monte Carlo Masters and suffered a shock exit after a loss in his very first match against the unseeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
This loss is a big blow to Djokovic’s confidence ahead of Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic and Alejandro Fokina had faced each other on the ATP tour two times in the past. Djokovic won comfortably in straight sets on both occasions – the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2021 Rome Masters. On paper, Djokovic was the clear favorite going into the match both in terms of rankings and head-to-head records.
Novak Djokovic has had a dismal 2022 both on and off the court. He missed a lot of tournaments this year because he has refused to take the Covid-19 vaccination. Djokovic was sent back from the Australian Open under controversial circumstances. He was then not allowed to play in the USA and missed ATP 1000 tournaments like the Indian Wells Masters and Miami Open. The Serbian was set to miss the Monte Carlo Masters and the Roland Garros as well until the French authorities brought a change in vaccination regulations.
Earlier, French authorities had announced that unvaccinated players won’t be allowed to take part however in an announcement last month. Until the French PM stated that restrictions with regards to vaccination pass won’t be in effect from March 14. This announcement came as a major boost to Djokovic as it allows him to play the tournaments to defend his No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings.
Djokovic is the defending Roland Garros champion and would definitely want to make a statement in the second Grand Slam of the year, starting later in May.
More Tennis news
Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates