Alejandro Tabilo reveals why he was ‘very scared’ of facing Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo
Alejandro Tabilo said that was ‘very scared’ about how Novak Djokovic would approach their recent Monte Carlo match, and expected the former world No 1 to want to ‘kill’ him.
The Chilean collected a sensational 6-3, 6-4 upset in his second-round match at Monte Carlo against the 24-time Grand Slam champion – who looked like a diminished and unmotivated figure on Court Rainier III.
Tabilo had previously defeated Djokovic 6-2, 6-3 in the second round of the Rome Masters in May 2024, with back-to-back victories against the top players often hard to come by.
“I was actually very scared about that [Djokovic wanting revenge],” said Tabilo.
“I know how good his mental part is. I was ready for him to come out and almost want to kill me!
“So I started out really solid and tried to be aggressive and hold him back as well as possible. Slowly, it started working and I feel I made him uncomfortable in some situation which was great.
“I think it was around four something where you feel something where your legs and hands get a bit colder.
“This time I was just trying to enjoy and I almost laughed because I felt it [the nerves] so much, this is what you play for. This kind of sensation, so I tried to use it in a positive way.”
Tabilo became just the third man to hold a 2-0 head-to-head lead over the Serbian superstar, joining Marat Safin and Jiri Vesley.
The Chilean’s victory is even more remarkable considering he entered the match with a 3-8 win/loss record in 2025 and was yet to collect consecutive victories this season.
It should be said that Djokovic, also, has had an up-and-down year, with an unusually poor 12-6 record in 2025.
“It has been a tough year, so a little bit of the nerves were there,” admitted Tabilo.
“I remembered last time what I did well and thankfully I served well today, and it helped me a lot. It was an unreal match.
“It’s just been some tough times, personally. But we’ve been trying to take care of it.
“Match by match, we’ve been getting a bit looser. Just so happy now that I’m feeling better.”
Latest ATP News
Jannik Sinner’s fitness coach says the world No 1 has ‘rediscovered himself’ during suspension
Novak Djokovic asked about injury scare and eye problem after Monte Carlo Masters shock
Djokovic, on the other hand, looked like a shell of his former self – regularly misfiring forehands past the baseline, and claiming 29 unforced errors.
“It was actually more like the worst day,” stated the two-time Monte Carlo, whose press conference barely lasted 90 seconds.
“Look, I was hoping this is not going to happen, but it was quite a high probability I’m going to play this way.
“I don’t know, just horrible. Horrible feeling to play this way and I’m just sorry for all the people that have to witness this.
“Well, I expected myself at least to have put a decent performance. Not like this, I mean this is horrible. I did not have high expectations, really. 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.”
