The early elimination of the Serbian Novak Djokovic in the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 surprised the tennis world, not only because of Nole's history but also because of his present, after reaching the final in Miami. However, in the Serb's incredible track record, the Principality tournament is the longest unbeaten ATP 1000 tournament.
The difficulties of clay
Novak Djokovic was surprised by the Chilean Alejandro Tábilo in his presentation at the Monte Carlo Masters 1000. The former world No. 1 was far from his best level, falling in straight sets by 6-3 and 6-4.
After the defeat, Novak gave a brief press conference where he apologized to the fans:
"I expected myself at least to have put in a decent performance. Not like this. It was horrible,” Djokovic said. “I did not have high expectations. 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."
“I was hoping it was not going to happen, but it was quite a high probability I'm going to play this way. I don't know. [It was] just horrible,” he added.
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To be eliminated early in such a tournament and repeatedly is something that not many could imagine for a player as laureate as Djokovic, the top Grand Slam winner and the top ATP 1000 tournament winner. However, it has been exactly 10 years since the last Olympic champion lifted the trophy in the Principality;
A bit of history
Since that final against Tomas Berdych in which the Serb had to do his best to win 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, there have been 9 consecutive eliminations, taking into account that the 2020 edition was not played due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Nole won in Monte Carlo for the first time in 2013, when he defeated the enormous Rafael Nadal, who was coming from a streak of 8 consecutive trophies in the tournament. After taking off the pressure of beating Rafa in one of his strongholds, in 2014 the Serb would fail to defend the title and lose to Roger Federer, only to return the following year and claim the throne again.
The Djokovic of 2015 was a competitive beast and in that season before defeating the Czech, Novak had eliminated none other than Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. Considering his excellent form one might have thought that the Monte Carlo tournament, where he has also lived for many years, would be one of the most on his list of titles.
The reality is that not only did he not win there again, but he was not even able to reach the final of the event.
In 2016 Djokovic fell in the second round of the tournament against Czech Jiri Vesely in three sets, something that left everyone with their mouths agape, considering that the former world No. 1 was the defending champion, and that in that start of the season he had swept everything, winning the Australian Open and the Sunshine Double.
The Monte Carlo clay would again be the scene of a new defeat in 2017, this time against Belgian David Goffin, in the quarterfinals of the tournament. That campaign was one of the worst of his career, winning only two titles: Doha and Eastbourne.
Dominic Thiem was in charge of sending the Serb home in 2018. The Austrian was enjoying an unbeatable present and was too much for Novak, who was defeated 7-6, 3-6, 2-6, prolonging the title drought in the principality.
Djokovic, the biggest threat to Nadal's reign on clay.
In 2019, the winner of 24 Grand Slams arrived as number 1 in Monte Carlo ready to retake the crown, but this time it would be Daniil Medvedev who would surprise Djokovic. The Russian had broken into the top 10 and began his final ascent to the top of the ranking. Again, the Serb struggled but fell in three sets in the quarterfinals.
After the break due to Covid, the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 took place again in 2021, and once again Djokovic, who was coming from an extensive inactivity after winning Australia again, would be left with no chance. In the round of 16, Dan Evans eliminated him in straight sets in what is undoubtedly his most striking defeat in the Principality, considering that the Briton is far from being an expert on clay.
Alexander Davidovich Fokina eliminated the Australian Open's top champion in 2022 in an intense 3-set battle in the second round. Lorenzo Mussetti did the same in 2023 in the round of 16, again denying Djokovic the chance to at least get into the top 8 of the tournament.
Finally, Norwegian Casper Ruud thwarted the Serb's intentions last season in a thrilling semifinal match.
The triple crown: A dream that is getting further and further away
The former No. 1 has racked up the most titles he owns in the last decade, but things in Monte Carlo have not gone so well for him.
Possibly one of the factors that have made the first Masters on clay of the season so uphill for Novak has been his adaptation to the change of surface. Coming from the Sunshine Double to move to the slower courts in just over a week is no easy task. The court positioning, strokes and physical demands of clay often complicate some players. Djokovic himself, despite not winning in Monaco, has gone on to win the Madrid and Rome Masters, as well as Roland Garros.
Conquering Monte Carlo once again would allow the Serb to increase his status as a living tennis legend. The prestigious tournament in the Principality is the only ATP 1000 tournament that Nole has failed to win three times. In other words, if that elusive third title were to come, Djokovic would have won at least three times each of the ATP 1000 tournaments that exist.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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