Novak Djokovic learns his first Monte Carlo Masters opponent – and he will be out for revenge
Novak Djokovic will be looking to build on his Miami Open final run at the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters, and he now knows the identity of his first opponent.
The Serbian, who receives an opening round bye as the No 3 seed, will take on 32nd-ranked Alejandro Tabilo in the second round.
As he bids for a third Monte Carlo crown and a milestone 100th ATP singles title, Djokovic has plenty on the line this week.
The world No 5 may, though, have some added motivation for his opening match.
What is Djokovic’s history with Tabilo?
Tabilo is a rare player with a winning record against Djokovic, having earned a shock 6-2, 6-3 victory in the pair’s only previous encounter – which came in the third round of the 2024 Italian Open.
Djokovic, who was the top seed in Rome last year, was broken four times and did not generate a single break point on Tabilo’s serve in a one-sided contest lasting just over an hour.
The defeat for Djokovic came two days after he was struck on the head by a metal water bottle that fell from a spectator’s bag as he left the court following his first match at the event.
Tabilo, who was seeded 29th, went on to reach the semi-finals in an impressive run at the Masters 1000 event.
What did Djokovic say after losing to Tabilo in Rome?
Q. Could you please explain why you weren’t able to perform at your highest level today?
DJOKOVIC: Congratulations to my opponent. It’s the first time I faced him. Great player. Really quality player. All-around game.
Yeah, I just wasn’t able to find any kind of good feelings on the court, to be honest, with striking the ball. Yeah, I was completely off.
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Q. Was this related at all to the bottle incident? Were you feeling anything from what happened on Friday night?
DJOKOVIC: I don’t know, to be honest. I have to check that. Training was different. I was going for kind of easy training yesterday. I didn’t feel anything, but I also didn’t feel the same.
Today under high stress, it was quite bad – not in terms of pain, but in terms of this balance. Just no coordination. Completely different player from what it was two nights ago. Could be. I don’t know. I have to do medical checkups and see what’s going on.
Tabilo’s form
Tabilo ground out a 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 win against 163rd-ranked wildcard Stan Wawrinka in the first round in Monte Carlo.
This was just Tabilo’s third win of 2025: he holds a 3-9 record this season having struggled badly for form.
The 27-year-old Chilean has not won back-to-back matches since the Canadian Open in August last year.
Tabilo is at his best on clay, but it is difficult to see him upsetting Djokovic again if the 24-time major winner is anywhere near his best.
When will the Djokovic-Tabilo match take place?
The second round match between Djokovic and Tabilo in Monte Carlo is expected to be played on Wednesday, with the order of play yet to be announced.
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