Fourth seed and two-time champion is out of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in his opening match of the clay-court season.
Alejandro Tabilo, ranked 32 in the world, benefitted from a below-par performance from Novak Djokovic and held his nerve in the critical moments to earn a 6-3, 6-4 second-round win at the Monte-Carlo Country Club on Wednesday.
The match lasted one hour and 26 minutes.
The Chilean left-hander also defeated the 24-time Grand Slam titlist on clay at the 2024 Italian Open and has now won both meetings against the former world no.1.
“I expected myself at least to have put in a decent performance. Not like this. It was horrible,” Djokovic said. “I did not have high expectations. I knew I’m going to have a tough opponent and I knew I’m going to probably play pretty bad. But this bad, I didn’t expect.”
Match stats: aces (3-2), double faults (2-2), winners (18-16), unforced errors (29-16), total points won (49-66).
Novak is set to return to the Mutua Madrid Open at La Caja Mágica, Madrid.
This will mark his 13th appearance in the capital of Spain, where he has claimed the trophy three times (2011, 2016, 2019).
Photo: Profimedia
