As Novak Djokovic gears up for his 18th Monte Carlo Masters appearance, he’s offered new insight into what affected his performance during the Miami Open final. The 24-time Grand Slam champion, now 37, is set to begin his Monte Carlo campaign against either Stan Wawrinka or Alejandro Tabilo in the second round.
Djokovic came close to capturing his milestone 100th ATP title in Miami, but fell short in a tightly contested final against 19-year-old Jakub Mensik, losing 7-6, 7-6 in just over two hours.
Viral Infection Affected Djokovic in Final
While Djokovic stayed quiet about it during the tournament, he has now revealed that he played the final with a swollen right eye due to a viral infection that began affecting him the day of his semifinal. Despite this, he powered through that match, defeating close friend Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-3 to reach his 60th Masters 1000 final.
“I started feeling the effects of the virus on semi-final day,” Djokovic admitted. “It impacted me in the final, but it’s already starting to calm down. I didn’t want to talk about it during the tournament because Mensik deserved full credit — he played a great match.”
Battling Through Tight Sets in Tough Conditions
The final was delayed due to rain, forcing both players to adapt to challenging conditions. Despite the discomfort, Djokovic competed at a high level, with both sets decided by tie-breaks and the total points evenly split at 76 each. But the young Czech handled the key moments better, showing composure and flair beyond his years.
Mensik broke early in the second game of the match, racing to a 4-1 lead. Djokovic responded by breaking back in the seventh game, but neither player could break again, setting up a tense tie-break.
Mensik opened the breaker with a lucky net cord and a highlight-reel behind-the-back volley winner. Djokovic struggled to recover from a 0-5 deficit, and Mensik secured the first set in 55 minutes.
In the second set, Djokovic saved two break points at 2-2 but couldn’t make any inroads on return. Once again, a tie-break decided the outcome, and again, Mensik had the edge. He earned three match points and converted the second with a service winner to seal the biggest win of his career — defeating the very player he idolized growing up.
Looking Ahead to the Clay Season
“I found joy in competing again in Miami, even though I didn’t win the title,” Djokovic said. “Now I’m focused on the clay season. I want to get as many matches under my belt before Roland Garros and try to peak in Paris.”
Djokovic will now turn his attention to the European clay swing, with Monte Carlo as the first stop in his build-up to the French Open — a tournament where he aims to once again be at his absolute best.
