Novak Djokovic’s big weakness revealed after shock Monte Carlo defeat

Tennis365 13 Apr 2023 6:52 PM

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic has looked invincible on any tennis court he has stepped on for much of the last decade, but some cracks have been in evidence over the last year.

After his shock 4-6 7-5 6-4 defeat against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti at the Monte Carlo Masters, it is evident that some factors are currently working against Djokovic as he looks to reaffirm his status as the world’s best player.

Here, we look at the reasons why the world No 1 suffered a second defeat of 2023 in his first event of the year on class courts.

LACK OF ACTIVITY

The Serbian is getting used to long breaks away from competition and that was a factor one again as Musetti cashed in on his rustiness.

He made the decision not to take a Covid vaccine and that has proved to be a crippling call, with as he missed a host of top tournaments in 2022 and also the Indian Wells and Miami Open Masters events last month.

Long breaks away mean Djokovic is being forced to get back up to speed in top level events against opponents who are match sharp and that certainly helped Musetti get over the line for the biggest win of his career.

FOREHAND FLAWS

Djokovic’s forehand was misfiring against Musetti and he needs to find a solution quickly.

On the rare occasions when Djokovic has been taken out of his comfort zone, the Serbian falls over on his shots as he strives to find his form and that trait was in evidence against in Monte Carlo.

Djokovic tends to come up short when he gets into this mode and he eagerness to rush the net suggested he was looking to shorten points as he appeared to flag physically.

There were also concerns over his serve, as he threw in too many double faults and appeared to lose confidence in his motion before the rain break.

With his 36th birthday looming next month, Djokovic is bound to slow down at some point and we may be seeing the early signs of that now.

NOVAK’S INNER DEMON

Djokovic lost his cool with a line-up at the end of the second set and that gave Musetti his chance to strike.

With the Serb frustrated with what proved to a poor call from umpire Aurelie Tourte, he allowed that annoyance to affect his game and his mental balance was clearly impacted.

Again, we have seen this in the past from Djokovic, as he riles against injustice on and off the court and struggles to accept mistakes that affect him.

This one defeat will not impact Djokovic’s hopes of winning the French Open next month, but it will create a stir in the locker room that suggests the main man is vulnerable.

DJOKOVIC VERDICT

This is not a moment for the best player in the world to hit the panic button, but this was a worrying defeat.

He needs to regroup and find his best form in upcoming events in Madrid and Rome to ensure he is at his best for the French Open in Paris.

Those forehand flaws need to be ironed out and his apparent lack of stamina will also need to be addressed.

In the end, he was undone by his own mistakes and as has been the case for a long time, the biggest threat to Djokovic comes on the rare occasions when he has an off day on court.

That is hardly a big weakness, but it is the one that threatened Djokovic more than any other.

This was a setback for the world No 1, yet only a fool would dare to write off the great Novak Djokovic.