Novak Djokovic lost this year’s invincibility. At the first clay tournament of the season in Monte Carlo, he was eliminated in the round of 16. The world number one did not follow up on the initial smooth win over the Italian super-talent Jannik Sinner and fell after a bad performance with Dan Evans from Great Britain after sets 4: 6 and 5: 7.
The 33-year-old Djokovic, who presented himself in Monte Carlo for the first time since his triumph and injury at the February Australian Open, did not enter the match well. Evans took the lead 3-0 and won the first set in 57 minutes.
In the second set, on the other hand, Djokovic took the lead 3-0, but 30-year-old Evans turned the score around and ended this year’s invincibility of the winner of 18 grand slams.
The two-time champion of the tournament, Djokovic, who has so far won all ten duels of the season, did not hide behind anything after the match. “It was a terrible performance from me,” said the Serb.
“I can’t take anything positive from this match. Dan deserved to win, he played better in key moments, he’s a great player. I have to admit that I played one of the worst matches in recent years. I felt terrible on the court, it didn’t work for me nothing at all, “said Djokovic after the match.
For the 33rd player in the Evans rankings, it was the first win over the world number one in his career and only the fourth over a player from the elite ten. The Briton recorded a lifetime victory, although clay is clearly its weakest surface. Before Monte Carlo, he had a tragic clay balance of four wins and thirteen defeats on the circuit.
“The most important thing is to believe that you can win. But it’s easy to talk about it and then show it,” Evans said. “Of course I doubted during the match. It’s not easy to finish the match either, there are a lot of things running through your head,” he added.
“I am very happy and I will probably appreciate the victory from a distance. When I tell the children and grandchildren that I beat the world number one,” added Evans, who is waiting for the eleventh seed David Goffin from Belgium in the quarterfinals. He also eliminated another favorite in two sets, the German Alexander Zverev.
Monte Carlo Men’s Tennis Tournament (clay, € 2,460,585):
Singles – Round 3: Evans (UK) – Djokovic (1-SRB) 6: 4, 7: 5, Tsitsipas (4-Greece) – Garin (16-Chile) 6: 3, 6: 4, Goffin (11-Belg.) – A. Zverev (5-Něm.) 6: 4, 7: 6 (9: 7), Davidovich (Šp.) – Pouille (Fr.) 6: 2, 7: 6 (7: 2).
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