Author: VishwajitSawant
Novak Djokovic starts the clay season with victory at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Despite facing a challenge from Ivan Gakhov, who is ranked 198th in the world, Djokovic kept his composure during the critical moments of the match to secure a 7-6(5), 6-2 victory and advance to the third round.
Reflecting on his performance in the post-match interview, Djokovic acknowledged that it wasn’t his best game, especially in the first set. He attributed this to the unpredictable conditions, which included strong winds and uneven bounces on the clay court. Even so, he was pleased with his ability to stay calm under pressure and win the match in two sets.
In Djokovic’s own words: “It probably wasn’t the most beautiful victory for me today. However, I’m satisfied with the way I handled the important moments and came away with the win. Playing an official match on clay is always challenging due to the unpredictable nature of the surface, but I managed to keep my composure and secure the win.“
Despite being the fourth alternate in the qualifying field, Ivan Gakhov took his chance and won his first ATP Tour match, advancing to the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters. However, Novak Djokovic’s vast experience proved to be a significant advantage in the crucial moments of the match.
Djokovic admitted that he hadn’t watched Gakhov play before the match and had only seen a small amount of video of his previous match. However, he acknowledged that Gakhov is a rising star who has already competed on the Challenger Tour and had momentum going into the match.
Djokovic said: “I didn’t have the best preparation because I didn’t know much about Ivan’s game. But he’s a young player on the rise, coming from the Challenger Tour and he was playing with a lot of confidence.“
Novak Djokovic, who currently holds the record for the most ATP Masters 1000 titles, aims to add another to his collection this week in Monte-Carlo. He has already won two previous titles at this event. In the third round, the seed will face either Lorenzo Musetti or Luca Nardi, both from Italy.