This week saw the debut of a new ATP tournament in Monte Carlo, but a major upset took place right in the opening round.
In a surprising turn of events, Novak Djokovic faced Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in their second-ever meeting. Last year, Tabilo had defeated the Serbian 2-0, and he repeated that feat this time around. Tabilo won the first set 6-3 in 38 minutes, and although the second set lasted a bit longer at 50 minutes, it too went in Tabilo’s favor, 6-4.
As a result, Djokovic was eliminated from the Monte Carlo tournament in the first round with a 0-2 defeat.
After the match, the Serbian star expressed his disappointment, admitting that he had expected a different outcome but was left with a nightmare performance.
“I hoped at least to put in a decent performance. But it didn’t happen. It was terrible. I didn’t have high expectations, to be honest. I knew I was up against a tough opponent, and I suspected I might not play my best. But to play this poorly—I didn’t anticipate that. Just awful. It’s a terrible feeling to play like that, and I just feel sorry for everyone who witnessed it,” Djokovic said.
As a reminder, Djokovic had previously mentioned that after speaking with Messi’s son, he now feels an added pressure on the court.