MONTE CARLO (Reuters) – World primary Novak Djokovic crashed to a three-set defeat in solely his fourth match of the season, falling 6-3 6-7(5) 6-1 to unseeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second spherical of the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday.
The 20-times Grand Slam champion endured a tricky begin to the yr as he was unable to defend his Australian Open title in January after being deported from the nation for being unvaccinated towards COVID-19.
Djokovic, who solely performed three matches in Dubai forward of the Masters 1000 occasion in Monaco, struggled to discover his vary early in the competition as Spaniard Davidovich Fokina raced to a 4-1 lead earlier than taking the opening set on Court Rainier III.
The world quantity 46 grabbed an early break in the second set to go up 3-0 however Djokovic battled again earlier than overcoming points with a wobbly serve to degree the competition following a decent tiebreak.
Fokina then raised his recreation in the decider, preying on errors made by a tiring Djokovic and accomplished the victory because the Serb discovered the web.
“This win is so particular to me as a result of I grew up watching Nole (Djokovic) and I’m an enormous fan of his,” Davidovich Fokina mentioned in his post-match interview.
“I knew Nole did not have the boldness as a result of he did not play quite a bit this season… I had my possibilities in the start of the match and I took them.
“When he received the second set it was robust mentally, however I work exhausting to be targeted. I had to be ready for the struggle.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas will start the defence of his title on the occasion with a second-round conflict towards 2019 champion Fabio Fognini whereas Grigor Dimitrov performs Dusan Lajovic for a spot in the spherical of 16.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
