3 times Novak Djokovic lost early at Monte-Carlo but went on to win French Open

Novak Djokovic has had a disappointing start to his clay-court season, having suffered a second-round exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Serb was the third seed at the tournament but lost 3-6, 4-6 to Alejandro Tabilo. This is the third time he has lost a competition in the opening round so far in 2025.

Djokovic has won two titles so far at the Monte-Carlo Masters but his numbers at the tournament since 2015 have been nothing but disappointing, having triumphed in just 11 out of 20 matches. However, despite this, he has managed to win all of his French Open titles during that period.

On that note, let us take a look at three instance when Djokovic managed to win the clay-court Major despite poor outings in Monte-Carlo.

#1. 2016

Novak Djokovic entered the 2016 Monte-Carlo Masters as the defending champion and the top seed. He received a bye to the second round and here, he faced Jiri Vesely, who took the lead by taking the opening set 6-4. However, the Serb took the second set to force the match into a decider. Vesely eventually took the final set to register a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win and eliminated Djokovic.

The Serb entered the French Open as the top seed and reached the final after wins over Lu Yen-hsun, Steve Darcis, Aljaz Bedene, 14th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, seventh seed Tomas Berdych and 13th seed Dominic Thiem. Here, he faced Andy Murray and trailed after losing the first set.

However, the Serb bounced back and registered a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win to clinch his maiden title at the French Open and complete the career Grand Slam.

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#2. 2021

Djokovic produced one of the greatest tennis seasons in history in 2021 but the Monte-Carlo Masters was one tournament where he failed to reach the quarterfinals.

The Serb received a bye to the second round and here, he beat Jannik Sinner 6-4, 6-2 to set up a third-round clash with Dan Evans. The Brit stunned Djokovic 6-4, 7-5 to register one of the upsets of the tournament.

The Serb entered the French Open as one of the heavy favorites and reached the semifinals with wins over Tennys Sandgren, Pablo Cuevas, Ricardas Berankis, Lorenzo Musetti and Matteo Berrettini. Here, he faced his rival Rafael Nadal and came back from a set down to beat him 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2 to reach the final, where Stefanos Tsitsipas awaited him.

The Greek got off to a dream start and took the first two sets 7-6(6), 6-2. However, Djokovic showed another example of his elite mentality and scripted a remarkable comeback to win 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and win his second title at the Paris Major.

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#3. 2023

The Monte-Carlo Masters in 2023 was Djokovic's first tournament since that year's Dubai Tennis Championships, where he exited in the semifinals. The Serb received a bye to the second round by virtue of his seeding and beat Ivan Gakhov 7-6(5), 6-2 to set up a third-round clash with Lorenzo Musetti.

He won the first set 6-4 but the Italian produced a fine comeback to bag a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 win and bag his first win over the then-World No. 1. The Serb slipped to third in the ATP rankings during the next few weeks and entered the French Open as the third seed.

Here, he reached the quarterfinals without dropping a single set, beating Aleksandar Kovacevic, Marton Fucsovics, 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Juan Pablo Varillas. He then registered four-set wins over Karen Khachanov and Carlos Alcaraz to set up a final with Casper Ruud.

Ruud won the first three games of the match but the Serb then dominated the remainder of it to win 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 and win his third title at the French Open.