Djokovic falls to Davidovich in his Monte Carlo debut

The return to the slopes of the number one

had a brief, ephemeral step through Monte Carlo, where he fell to the first exchange, in the second round, surpassed by the Spanish

who took advantage of the doubts and the inactivity of the Serbian to obtain a memorable victory (6-3, 6-7(5) and 6-1).

The Serbian had not played since he fell in February, in the Dubai tournament, against the Czech Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals.

That was the only event in which he was able to participate until then.

Where the covid vaccine that was required at the Australian Open and also on the American tour, at the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami, is not mandatory.

Djokovic has a free hand now in the gravel stage that opens in Monte Carlo and that he does not want to waste.

Madrid and, above all, Roland Garros, on the horizon, to feel like a player again and reframe his name on the circuit that he dominates.

A lot has happened on tour with the Serbian out cold.

New winners, the loss for twenty-one days of the number one that the Russian Daniil Medvedev temporarily tied up and who later lost or the irruption of the young Carlos Alcaraz, with whom he could have found himself in the quarterfinals.

But his time at the Monte Carlo Country Club was short-lived, where the Balkan has trained for a decade.

The winner of twenty majors was unable to extend his course in his second tournament of the season.

Only twice before has Djokovic been dropped from this competition in his first match.

It was in his first participation, in 2006, against Roger Federer, and a decade later, in 2016, against Vesely.

The Spaniard had before him an unbeatable opportunity to obtain his most important victory so far.

He had before him a rival lacking games, without filming, and mentally affected.

Psychologically touched by everything lived so far in 2022.

Davidovich did not waste it, gaining in confidence with every point he played and won.

And that did not decline when Djokovic reacted and equalized the match.

The Spanish pulled maturity and kept the type until his rival was exhausted.

It will not be easy for the number one in the world to take flight and recover his level.

Especially if he doesn't accumulate games, minutes on the pitch.

Excessively erratic, the tennis player from Belgrade who won twice in Monte Carlo (2013 and 2015), ran into a grown opponent willing to embrace his opportunity who played with impudence and without complexes.

There were few times that Djokovic pulled from the repertoire and showed blows and masterful execution in a match that appeared crooked and without any ease at the beginning.

He did not find the Serb the pitch and lost serve from him twice in the opening stages of the first set.

Davidovich, clearly surpassed by the Serbian last year, in the appointments of Rome and in the Olympic Games of Tokyo, the two times that previously coincided, stood with a 4-1 in favor that put him in the face of the conquest of the first set which he won 6-3.

The panorama of the Serbian did not improve later.

Head down, conditioned by his unforced errors and by his irregularity in the match.

The Spaniard broke from the start and took a 3-0 lead after winning a game that lasted a quarter of an hour with his serve.

It was key.

The Andalusian resisted, getting closer to victory.

Djokovic did not decline and resisted losing the fourth game he played so far this season.

He got up to 3-2 and served on his side, but he lost it.

He suffered the number one in the world with Davidovich's variants that he began to abuse the left ones.

A solution first and a habit later that he no longer bothered the Balkan already fully involved in the duel.

The Spaniard, quarterfinalist last year, surpassed by the Greek champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, dropped in level.

He felt the effort.

He requested medical attention for discomfort in the wrist.

Still he reached the second set tiebreak and was two points away from closing out a win.

He slipped out of her hands.

Djokovic closed out the second set and celebrated it as a win.

Exit.

He survived, he stayed in the game.

But Davidovich too.

He was up to his big chance and didn't give in.

The Andalusian who came out graceful from each setback resumed his pulse.

He stopped his rival, increasingly tired.

It was there where the lack of games was noticed.

Davidovich's pulse did not tremble when he saw his adversary touched and did not forgive him.

He was before his great occasion.

He sealed the big win for him after nearly three hours of play.

Alejandro Davidovich is already in the round of 16.

Djokovic said goodbye and the Spaniard extended his stay.

In the second round he will play against the winner of the match between the Belgian David Goffin, who beat the Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-3, and the British Daniel Evans.

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