Warning signal for Djokovic

Djokovic is in very poor form - Photo: Reuters

On April 10, Djokovic lost to Chilean player Alejandro Tabilo in the opening match of the Monte Carlo Tournament on clay. Notably, Tabilo is ranked 32nd in the world, while Djokovic is in the top 5.

Djokovic's defeat could also be explained by his lack of experience. Eleven months ago, Tabilo defeated Djokovic at the Italian Open, also played on clay. But that was just a small part of the bigger picture, as Djokovic's form has been in serious decline.

At 37 years old, Djokovic still wants to extend his Grand Slam championship record beyond 24. And with 99 ATP titles already achieved, Djokovic is aiming for the 100th milestone. But since the beginning of the year, everything has slipped away from Djokovic's hands.

More than four months have passed, and his number of titles has remained unchanged. And alarmingly, he is often eliminated early by lower-ranked opponents. Statistics do not lie. In his recent loss to Tabilo, Djokovic made 29 errors. The tournament where Djokovic has advanced the furthest since the beginning of the year was the Miami Open, when he reached the final. But here, he still lost to his opponent, only 19 years old, Jakub Mensik.

At 36, Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam title. At 37, he won an Olympic gold medal. But this year, as he approaches 38, the burden of age is becoming more and more of a problem for Djokovic.

Over the years, he has proactively applied training methods and nutritional regimens more suitable for older athletes. But facing a generation of players who are increasingly younger, stronger, and more energetic, all efforts have become meaningless. Djokovic is getting slower and more exhausted. This also affects his playing technique, leading to him making more mistakes. Age also makes Djokovic more susceptible to injury.

Monte Carlo is just the opening tournament of the clay court season. On the next journey, Djokovic will have to face many very strong opponents such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper, Casper Ruud... and Jannik Sinner - who is about to return after a ban for doping.

Djokovic cannot be ruled out of the ATP championship race, including the Grand Slam, but fans cannot be too optimistic about the possibility of seeing Djokovic lift a trophy.

Djokovic can still win his 100th ATP title if he skips the high-ranking tournaments and moves down to lower tournaments like ATP 500 or ATP 250. But with his reputation, will Djokovic accept such a "lowering"?

Read more Back to Topics

DUC KHUE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tin-hieu-bao-dong-voi-djokovic-20250411104409759.htm