Djokovic Upset Again at Monte Carlo Masters by Alejandro Tabilo

MONACO (AP) — Novak Djokovic‘s quest for a 100th career title faced another hurdle Wednesday as Alejandro Tabilo defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion 6-3, 6-4 in the Monte Carlo Masters second round.

This loss marks a repeat of Tabilo’s unexpected victory over Djokovic at last year’s Italian Open. Djokovic, returning to clay for the first time since securing an Olympic gold medal in Paris last August, entered the match with minimal expectations. “I knew I’m going to have a tough opponent and I knew I’m going to probably play pretty bad,” he said. “But this bad, I didn’t expect.”

Djokovic, who recently concluded his Miami Open final against Jakub Mensik with a loss, will celebrate his 38th birthday next month, just ahead of the French Open starting May 25.

Meanwhile, defending French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz began his clay-court season with a comeback victory over Francisco Cerundolo, winning 3-6, 6-0, 6-1. This match followed a surprising early exit for Alcaraz at the Miami Open against Belgian veteran David Goffin, and he is now focused on capturing a second title of 2025 while refining his game for Roland Garros.

Alcaraz’s solid performance against Cerundolo included successfully saving nine out of ten break points and converting five of seven chances on his opponent’s serve.

In another match, Tabilo sealed his win over Djokovic with a long service return that the Serbian could not bring back. Djokovic managed to save one match point while trailing 5-3, showcasing a deft drop shot, but ultimately succumbed to the Chilean player.

In other matches, No. 13 seed Lorenzo Musetti triumphed over Jiri Lehecka with a score of 1-6, 7-5, 6-2, and will face Matteo Berrettini next after he upset top-seeded Alexander Zverev. Daniil Medvedev defeated Alexandre Muller 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-2, while fourth-seeded Casper Ruud easily overcame Roberto Bautista Agut with a score of 6-2, 6-1. Veteran French players Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils were eliminated by Daniel Altmaier and seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev, respectively.

The Monte Carlo Masters is significant as the first major clay-court tournament of the ATP Tour season, setting the stage for the anticipation surrounding the upcoming Grand Slam events.