“I’m used to a really high standard in terms of expectations,” Novak Djokovic ‘disappointed’ after Monte Carlo exit
Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat in the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters. The top seed was defeated by Casper Ruud in three sets, who will now face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the finals. Novak Djokovic continues to search for his first title of the season, however he leaves Monte Carlo with plenty of positives.
The Serbian has gotten off to a sluggish start in 2024, losing in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open, and the third round of the Indian Wells Masters as well. The 24-time Grand Slam champion credited Casper Ruud for playing a disciplined match, and keep his nerve when it mattered the most.
Novak Djokovic recovered well from a break down in the final set, however, a couple of unforced errors in his final service game handed his opponent a place in the finals.
“Of course I’m disappointed to lose a match like this. It was close one. Congratulations to Casper. He played really good, especially in the beginning of the first and third, as well. I had my chances, but the last game was not great. Unforced errors and just he was solid I think until the last shot and deserved to win,” said Djokovic.
“The positive thing is that I kind of managed to come back after losing the first set and really find the strength in the game,” he assessed. “So there are positives to take away from this tournament, for sure, but of course disappointed with the loss,” the Serbian said in his press conference.
Novak Djokovic remains in hunt for his first title of the season
Novak Djokovic admitted that by his usual lofty standards, his start to the 2024 season has not been great. However, he pointed out to the fact that he has played just three tournaments this year, which includes the Monte Carlo Masters.
The Serbian hopes to build on his performance here in Monte Carlo, as he returned to the tour after almost a month. “I’m used to a really high standard in terms of expectations of the results, so not having a title is, maybe comparing to the last 15 years, not a great season at all,” he said. “But I had semis of Australia, semis here. I only played three tournaments this year [also Indian Wells], so of course it’s normal to expect that you have some seasons where you don’t start well, and this is the one,” said Djokovic.
“Hopefully I can pick up, in terms of results, I can build from here, because I played some good tennis. Hopefully in the next tournaments I’ll be able to play even better,” he added.
Novak Djokovic will next compete at the Madrid Masters, which commences at the end of the month. He is also expected to play the Italian Open, before he moves onto the all-important French Open. The Serbian lifted his third French Open title last time around, as he defeated Casper Ruud in the finals.
