Novak Djokovic's Monte-Carlo loss not worrying, says Serena Williams' ex-coach 

Former Serena Williams coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes Novak Djokovic's Monte-Carlo Masters loss is not worrying in context of his chances at the upcoming French Open.

Djokovic recently competed in the Monte-Carlo Masters, defeating Ivan Gakhov to reach the round of 16. His run, however, was cut short by young Italian Lorenzo Musetti.

Musetti overcame a set and a break deficit to defeat the top seed 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. It was a dramatic match, with code violations for both men and an hour-long rain delay midway through.

In a recent interview with Eurosport, Patrick Mouratoglou talked about Novak Djokovic's loss at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He claimed that Djokovic's chances at the upcoming French Open would not be affected by this loss.

Mouratoglou pointed out that Djokovic went through the same thing last year and still produced some of his best tennis at Roland Garros. The Serb reached the quarterfinals at the 2022 French Open before losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.

"I'm not worried about him. He did the same thing last year, he went through it in Monte-Carlo. I think it's costing him, these long periods without a match, when everyone else is confident," Mouratoglou said.

The famous coach went on to say that training every day would have been difficult for Djokovic when he knew he wasn't going to play any tournament for two months.

"He's just coming in. He doesn't have a reference. And even in terms of motivation, I'm not in his pocket. I don't know how he trains. But I know that when you know that you don't have a tournament for two months, going to train every day is not easy," Mouratoglou said.

The Frenchman also claimed there was no doubt that Djokovic would perform well at Grand Slam tournaments. The only danger right now, according to Mouratoglou, is that the younger generation of players is progressing at a rapid pace.

He also attributed the 22-time Slam winner's current form on his absence from Indian Wells and Miami.

"The recovery is not easy. I have no doubt about his level of play in the Grand Slams. After that, the only danger is that the young players are progressing more and more. His current level of play is mainly the consequence of his absence in Indian Wells and Miami," he said.

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What is next for Novak Djokovic?

Novak Djokovic pictured at the 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters - Day Five

Novak Djokovic will next play the 2023 Srpska Open in Banja Luka, where his brother Djordje is the tournament director. The tournament is scheduled to run from April 17 to April 23.

The top-seeded Djokovic will start his campaign against the winner of the match between Luca Van Assche and three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.