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Former world No. 5 Daniela Hantuchova doesn't think Novak Djokovic's early exit in Monte Carlo was too concerning as it's not that Djokovic lost to someone who was out of form or playing badly. Last week, new world No. 27 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina clinched the biggest victory of his career when he upset Djokovic in the Monte Carlo second round 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-1.
After beating Djokovic, Davidovich Fokina also defeated Taylor Fritz, David Goffin, and Grigor Dimitrov, before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. “In a way I feel like Alejandro [Davidovich Fokina] helped him to not lose so much confidence and hope because he sees that ‘okay it’s one of the best clay court players at the moment," Hantuchova said on Amazon Prime.
“So he doesn’t feel like ‘I lost to someone who I was supposed to really win, I lost to someone who is playing incredible tennis’. “So I think that it’s going to help Novak looking ahead to Belgrade (Serbian Open)”.
Djokovic aiming to bounce back in Belgrade
Djokovic, seeded at No. 1, is playing this week's ATP event in Belgrade, where he is hoping to bounce back after an early Monte Carlo exit. “I was not fully ready for the tournament in Monte Carlo and I knew that before the tournament started,” Djokovic said in Belgrade.
“However, I need match practice and this is the surface (clay) that requires a lot of time spent on the court during training sessions, and even more during matches. “I hope to play more matches in Belgrade than in Monte Carlo”.
Djokovic has a lot of time left to prepare well for the French Open and he underlined that being at his best when the time comes for Roland Garris is his top priority. “Roland Garros is the quintessential clay-court tournament and I’m partly already there in my thoughts, in terms of preparation and everything I’m doing at the moment to get there as ready as I can be,” Djokovic said.