"Before COVID happened, I thought Novak Djokovic would be unstoppable around this time, but now it's just a mystery" - Brad Gilbert

Former tennis player Brad Gilbert has admitted that before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he had been expecting Novak Djokovic to be dominating the tour around this time. But taking all the recent developments into consideration, Gilbert reckons the Serb's prospects are quite uncertain at the moment.

For those unaware, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has played only three matches so far in 2022. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships before falling to qualifier Jiri Vesely.

The 34-year-old was prevented from playing in Australia because of his status as an unvaccinated player. For the same reason, he was also denied entry into the USA, missing out on the Sunshine Double.

In the process, the Serb surrendered the lead in the Slam race to Rafael Nadal and also relinquished his two-year hold on the World No. 1 spot to Daniil Medevdev. While he has reclaimed top spot for now, Medvedev stands a chance of leapfrogging the Serb by reaching the semifinals at the Miami Masters.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe podcast, Gilbert, a former World No. 4, opined that the latest developments must be "mentally taxing" for the 34-year-old.

"Before any of this with COVID happened, I thought that Novak Djokovic would be unstoppable around this time. [But now], it's all just a mystery with him," Gilbert said. "I just think that when you get so much equity by winning matches - which he had tons of - and all of a sudden you're not playing and all these things that happened with COVID, I think it's been mentally taxing."

Though the 60-year-old was cautiously optimistic about Djokovic getting back to his rhythm, he asserted that the World No. 1 needed more matches under his belt.

"Now, it's kind of forgotten, but that guy has been there the whole time. All of a sudden, he's gone," Gilbert said. "I think even if [Novak Djokovic] gets to play all through Europe, I gotta see results and I gotta see how he gets his game back. Maybe he will get it back."

Gilbert posited that if the in-form Carlos Alcaraz were to face the 20-time Grand Slam champion this year, the Spaniard would fancy his chances of beating the Serb.

The American went on to lavish praise on Alcaraz, declaring that the World No. 16 has a decent shot at winning one of the next four Slams. If he does, the Spaniard will become the first teenager to win a Major since Rafael Nadal in 2005.

"I wanna see Carlos Alcaraz play [Novak Djokovic]. I think Alcaraz is going to come on court and play him and think, "Okay, he's not the same." I think if someone has to play him in the fourth round of the slam, if you like to bet, put a few on Alcaraz," Gilbert said. "He's right there and I like his chances of winning one of the next four Slams."

Novak Djokovic to return to action at the Monte-Carlo Masters in April

Novak Djokovic is slated to return to action at the Monte-Carlo Masters

Novak Djokovic is slated to return to the tour next month at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Serb's participation in the ATP 1000 event has already been confirmed, as has his presence in the Serbia Open the subsequent week.

The Serb is a two-time winner in Monte-Carlo, having triumphed in 2013 and 2015. In the most recent edition, the World No. 1 suffered a shock third-round defeat by Dan Evans.