Novak Djokovic He has been preparing conscientiously for the clay court tour for several weeks. The Serb goes to ATP Masters 1000 Montecarlo 2023 as number one in the world, inaugurating a new journey at the top of the world rankings, and without matches in his backpack for just over a month. The impossibility of playing Indian Wells and Miami despite waiting until the last moment has caused Nole to have been training for several days on clay, preparing for the assault on a new Roland Garros and the big tournaments prior to the second Grand Slam of the year. The first of them, of course, takes place in an enclave that he knows very well.
Resident in Monte Carlo for many years, Novak arrived in Monaco a little over a week ago. While the action was still concentrated in the Masters 1000 in Miami, the Balkan was preparing the machine for his first tournament on clay, an event that, yes, he has not won since last year. 2015. His results in recent seasons are uneven, a circumstance that is surprising due to his continued idyll with the Principality for many years. In 2022 he gave in to Alexander Davidovich in his debut, afflicted with a virus that prevented him from giving his 100% and manifest inactivity (he had only played in the Dubai tournament before); They do not improve his performance in previous years, with defeats against names like Daniel Evans (third round, 2021), Daniil Medvedev (quarterfinal, 2019), Dominic Thiem (third round, 2018), David Goffin (quarterfinal, 2017) and Jiri Vesely (debut, 2016).
“I’ve done more training on clay, which is positive if you think about the clay tour. I haven’t had much success in Monte Carlo over the last two seasons. I have not displayed a good level of tennis hereso I hope I can start the clay court tour in a better way than in recent years and thus be able to build a good form.”, Novak revealed in statements prior to the start of the tournament collected by the ATP. As we said before, the results contrast with the comfort that the man from Belgrade feels in these facilities: he has trained quite regularly over the last decade, unable to hide his predilection for the club where the tournament is held.
“This is a club that i know really well. Quite a few elite players reside in Monaco and use this club as a base for their training. The club transforms incredibly in the weeks of the tournament, but it’s a great feeling to be able to sleep in your own bed, to be able to feel like you’re at home when it’s time to play the tournament. The atmosphere is incredible, with a club that is very small, very intimate. It’s loud, it’s cool. People are excited to see tennis here and this is one of the tournaments that has always been successful throughout the history of our sport.”Novak muses about the Principality tournament.
SU DEBUT, ANTE GAKHOV O MCDONALD
The Serb’s debut could take place next Tuesday, since Monday’s day will include some games from the top of the table, including the first round from which his opponent will emerge. Ivan Gakhovchampion of the Girona Challenger just a couple of weeks ago and one of the most improved players of the year, will face one of the names of the circuit in these months, a Mackenzie McDonald that will be released on clay in 2023. From there will come the rival of a Nole who glimpses on the horizon a possible round of 16 duel against Miomir Kecmanovic or Lorenzo Musetti and, of course, a possible quarterfinal of the tournament against Jannik Sinner.
