Novak Djokovic isn't worried after Monte-Carlo early exit and why fans shouldn't be either

Novak Djokovic’s Monte Carlo run is over after just one match, but he’s not worried about it, and fans shouldn’t be either. There has been this quiet worry with many tennis fans, mostly Djokovic fans, about where the Serbian is in his career and, more importantly, where he’s heading.

His most recent results haven’t been impressive, even though he has two Masters finals in Shanghai and Miami. Runs like these prove that Djokovic still can do some damage on the tennis tour, but it’s also becoming increasingly clear that he’s not in his domination days anymore. We won’t see him win too many trophies this year simply because he’s not at that level anymore.

This Monte Carlo loss to Alejandro Tabilo proves that. And while that might be shocking and problematic for some, Djokovic doesn’t seem too troubled by it. There is the bigger picture of technically already being the greatest of all time and none of this mattering too much, but there is also something that Djokovic himself has noted a few times already.

Novak Djokovic at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters - Day Four - Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic’s not playing to win the Monte Carlo Masters. Winning events is something he wants to do. He’s a competitive tennis player who is used to winning events, but there are only a select few events that truly matter for him.

He’s been saying for a while that Grand Slams are essentially the only events he’s playing because those events are the only ones that will significantly boost his legacy, and he’s correct. That’s true, so losing in the first round of Monte Carlo doesn’t matter. This event was always going to be just one event that he plays to get to where he needs to be—a prep event, as they call it.

That’s really what it ended up being. He got court time on clay, which will help him at Roland Garros. After that, there is Wimbledon, and after that, there is the US Open. All the other events he might play in between those don’t matter. It doesn’t mean that he’s going to mail them in, but losing there won’t matter.

Novak Djokovic is at peace with that, and he’s also at peace with pursuing this as a goal for the rest of his career. That’s why there is a certain dose of calmness in Djokovic, and it’s why fans shouldn’t be worried too much.

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Novak Djokovic doesn’t care

Novak Djokovic at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters - Day Four - Source: Getty

This is something Novak Djokovic said himself after losing early in Monte Carlo. He said that he doesn’t care about the loss. It can be assessed as a bit of a defensive statement, and it would be fair. He probably cares. He admitted a few minutes later that he didn’t expect his performance to be ‘this bad,’ which shows a certain dose of care.

He’s aware of what happened on the court, but again, it doesn’t matter. The fact remains that the most important match Djokovic contested in the last year was the Olympics final, and he showed up for that one and won it. For as long as there is the possibility of that, these other losses won’t matter too much for him because his goals for a while have been only these big events.

The most assuring thing that came from Camp Djokovic in the past few weeks was what he said before the Monte Carlo Masters, which is that he intends to play for a very long time. What that statement tells us is that there is a strong belief from Djokovic that he’s still capable of achieving his goals because if he didn’t think he would be able to, he wouldn’t play.

Roger Federer stopped playing when he understood that he couldn’t play the way he wanted to. Rafael Nadal also left the sport when he saw that he couldn’t play the way he could anymore. Novak Djokovic believes that he can play that way, and he showed it recently. He showed it at the Australian Open. He showed it in Miami, so he’s still able to play that way.

There is a strong belief that he can play that way; it just comes down to him prioritizing certain events over others. He will likely play less and less but still show up at those big events and give it his all, and then live with the results.

So, there you have it. That’s the best you can hope for as a Djokovic fan. He’s not done yet; he certainly doesn’t believe he’s done yet, and he’s going to keep going. For how long and with what results, that’s something nobody knows. But as long as he has belief and keeps working toward his goals, fans shouldn’t be worried about him. He played badly in Monte Carlo, but far from retirement-bad, and that’s ultimately what matters most.