By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, April 7, 2025
Photo credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty
Novak Djokovic has ridden his bicycle to his Monte-Carlo matches in the past.
Continuing his quest for his 100th career title, Djokovic suggests he faces an uphill climb to make the milestone in Monte-Carlo.
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Grand Slam king Djokovic said recovery from an eye infection that plagued him in his run to the Miami Open final and the challenge of adapting to Monte-Carlo’s red clay from Miami’s blue hard-court modify his expectations for this week’s clay-court Masters 1000 event.
Djokovic, who opens against Chilean left-hander Alejandro Tabilo, said he aims to get match play in Monte-Carlo in preparation for Roland Garros, starting on May 25th.
The good news for Djokovic fans—the 37-year-old Serbian superstar says he’s found his happy place on court again.
“I’m glad that I found at least in Miami that joy on the court and, I feel, performance level,” Djokovic said in his Monte-Carlo pre-tournament presser. “Let’s see if I can carry that into clay.
“It’s obviously a completely different surface and I didn’t have much time to get used to this tournament, so my expectations are not really high for the results here. It’s more about trying to get matches and as many as possible, and obviously try to peak towards the end of the clay season which is, of course, most importantly in Paris.”
The Olympic gold-medal champion said he suffered a “little bit of a viral infection” in his eye around the time of the Miami Open semifinals, but is feeling better.
“It started in semifinals day in Miami and I did struggle with it in the finals but it’s calming down, I guess,” Djokovic said. “I’m visiting the doctor later today so let’s see. It should be okay.”
The former world No. 1’s first match offers the opportunity to avenge his Rome upset loss to Tabilo last May.
World No. 32 Tabilo stunned Djokovic 6-2, 6-3 in one of the most surprising setbacks of Djokovic’s Rome career.
“It’s incredible,” Tabilo said after the victory, his first against any player inside the Top 10, let alone a World No.1 with 24 major titles to his name. “I’m still trying to process everything.
“I was just trying to keep my nerves in – it’s crazy, I can’t believe what just happened.”
With his win Tabilo became the first man from Chile to defeat a World No.1 since 2007, when Fernando Gonzalez defeated Roger Federer at the season ending Masters Cup.
