"Clearly dealing with struggles of not playing a match in a long time" - Tennis fans empathize with Novak Djokovic after early Monte-Carlo loss

Novak Djokovic's dismal 2022 season continued on Tuesday, as the World No. 1 succumbed to a shock defeat against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his opener at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters.

Although the Serb managed to clinch the second set, the World No. 46 proved too good for him and secured passage to the third round with a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1 victory.

Playing in only his fourth match of the year, the 20-time Grand Slam champion looked very rusty, getting broken nine times and making more than 50 unforced errors. He was hampered by the windy conditions and struggled with his fitness towards the closing stages.

Most tennis fans on social media empathized with the 34-year-old, pointing out that it was always going to be difficult for him considering his lack of match practice.

"Great win for Fokina who was awesome for the vast majority of that match. Way too early to read that much into Djokovic's overall clay season considering it's just his 4th match of the year in mid april," one user tweeted.

"Djokovic clearly dealing with the struggles of not playing a match in a long time," one fan wrote.

"Attempting to play a schedule this abbreviated was always going to have it's problems beyond just ranking points. I think I know a solution to his problem tho," another user tweeted.

The match lasted almost three hours, clocking in at two hours and 54 minutes. Most fans pointed out how hard it must have been for the Serb to return to action against a difficult and unpredictable opponent, sympathizing with the World No. 1 for his poor showing.

"Looks like Djokovic is out of gas. Not easy for your first match back to be three hours on clay," one account wrote.

Other fans were disappointed that they would not get to witness a possible quarter-final clash between Djokovic and rising sensation Carlos Alcaraz. At the same time, many were of the opinion that it was for the best, since Alcaraz would have likely outclassed the Serb in his current form.

"Former player texts "Can you imagine what Alcaraz would do to Novak playing at this level?" ....imagine reading *that* sentence six months ago...." tennis writer Jon Wertheim posted.

Last but not least, there was praise for Davidovich Fokina for the way he kept his cool against the veteran. The victory against the Serb marked the Spaniard's first ever top-5 win.

"I don't think Djokovic's loss to ADF has nothing to do with lack of match play. I just think there are other factors. Including: Davidovich has phenomenal abilities and I hope he starts putting the pieces together more consistently, because he can move the needle at his best," one fan praised the Spaniard.

Novak Djokovic moves on to the Serbia Open, keeps hold of the World No. 1 spot for now

Novak Djokovic's World No. 1 position is safe, at the very least

As much as Novak Djokovic will be disappointed with the early loss in Monte-Carlo, the World No. 1 does not have much time to dwell on it. The Serb will be in action next week at the Serbia Open, where he will be attempting to win his third title in front of his home fans.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion is still ranked World No. 1. He was defending fewer points than Daniil Medvedev in Monte-Carlo, and with the Russian having pulled out of the event, Djokovic will remain at the summit of the rankings.

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Also Check Out :-Monte Carlo Masters 2022 Results