Novak Djokovic’s struggles at the Monte-Carlo Masters continued this year as the World No. 5 suffered a first-round exit to Alejandro Tabilo. It marked another early defeat at the tournament where he has failed to go deep since winning in 2016.
Djokovic’s best recent run came last year when he reached the semi-finals, defeating Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti before falling to Casper Ruud. That quarter-final match against De Minaur was a gritty affair with eight service breaks and 26 unforced errors from the Serb.
Speaking afterward, Djokovic revealed an interesting exchange with De Minaur at the net:
“He said it was an ugly match—and I agreed. Neither of us played at a high level. There were too many mistakes and breaks of serve, even for clay.”
Despite the scrappy nature of the contest, Djokovic won 7-5, 6-4, getting revenge for a United Cup loss to De Minaur earlier that season.
“Sometimes you just have to win ugly,” Djokovic later reflected. “I had some brilliant moments, but others where I struggled to even hit clean.”
Unfortunately, he couldn’t replicate that gritty success this year. After his 6-3, 6-4 loss to Tabilo, Djokovic didn’t hold back:
“It felt like the worst day. Horrible performance. I’m sorry to the fans who had to witness it.”
This defeat will cost Djokovic a handful of ranking points as he fails to match last year’s semi-final showing. His Monte-Carlo form remains puzzling, with early exits in 2021, 2022, 2023, and now 2025.
