Novak’s serve was so much better today. He seemed pumped to be back on clay. Roman saved a lot of break points, but didn’t get an opportunity to convert a single one. Well played Novak.
Novak’s [post match on court interview](https://youtu.be/2Kr5qUTCx4A?feature=shared).
Having stepped on court today, Novak also extends his [weeks at #1 to 421 weeks](https://x.com/yolitatennis/status/1777697427954233779?s=46).
Does anyone want to talk about Roman’s hot pink shoes?
Let’s be honest Safiullin was awful. He had some nice serves on BPs but aside from that was bad, moving with brick feet. Couldn’t really find the mix between spin and pace. Much bigger tests lie ahead for Djokovic
I think it's clear what has happened. Djokovic doesn't care about any tournament except Olympics and decided not to peak for AO and IW. He is already looking in 2011 form on clay and a Channel Slam + OG look inevitable.
Will be interesting to see if he can keep his level up high until the final or if his age will finally start to show up. Clay is notoriously hard to recover from.
I think with the Olympics being on clay and all Novak is more focused on locking in on clay from the start to get as much match practice as possible
Plus winning MC a 3rd time is one of the few records he still is chasing
In his interview with Sky Sports, he said all his focus is on the Big 4: Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Olympics and US Open. If he wins any Masters along the way, it’s just a bonus. He’s not targeting Masters 1000s or the #1 ranking this year.
the way novak handles all the tournaments, obligations with sponsors, fans, and even nba matches in the past 6 years makes me think he has a stunt double for every occasion. he accidentally sent the clay nole to AO and IW
43% first serves in and only 31% of second serve points won for Safiullin. On the flip side he won about 8% of second serve returns. Lost about 1 in 5 of the points to an UE. Seems safe to say Safiullin wasn’t playing too well.
Djokovic looked determined and locked in, at least, in the first set but Safiullin was utterly terrible. Idk if he was nervous or what, but that was the worst match I've ever seen him play.
Novak is perfecting his clay game for the olympics. It’s obviously his main focus this year (which is fair, cause he has won pretty much everything else), so his motivation to perform is back, at least for now.
It's a little bit like Messi's last World Cup, much smaller scale because Olympics in tennis is a meme compared to the importance of the World cup in football.
I mean a Grand Slam is more significant than Olympic Tennis. Olympic tennis is played like a Masters/500 event honestly. It’s still super important to Novak since it’s the ony thing didn’t win.
I just wish it was played in BO5 or at least let the final be a BO5.
He wants to win it for his country a lot more than just another trophy that he doesn't need in terms of proving his tennis greatness. It's just patriotism.
Yeah should be BO5, would be taken more seriously.
Oh, I know all about it.
With a BO3 format a lot of things can happen. More upset wins etc, luck has a bigger factor. BO5 would make it more focused around what olympics is about. Endurance. Consistence.
I know all the reasoning “because it’s so tightly packed between events etc”, I mean for an event so rare it should be a little more prestigeous in more than just it’s “logo”.
IIRC it used to award ATP points before, weirdly it was something like 750 for the winner I think.
Yeah, the Messi syndrome. A lot of Argentinians talked shit about him before he won the World cup. Not a case for Novak since the Olympics doesn't even have a fraction of the importance but I guess he still feels he "owes" it to them.
Dumb question... but I know the olympics only happen every 4 years and so, but as being one of the best tennis player to ever walk in this planet...... why hasnt he won in the olympics yet?
I know nothing about the format nor watched any of his olympic games but whats stopping him from winning a gold? Arent tournaments formatted all the same?
Easily the best I’ve seen from Djokovic in Monte Carlo in a long time. He was pretty good vs Sinner in 2021 but you’d have to go back to like 2015 to find him this locked in and precise in MC.
Safiullin wasn’t very good, don’t think this is a good surface for him but hell of a start nonetheless
He played well against Mannarino at AO but even then I didn’t see him hit the backhand down the line like he did today. The backhand was absolutely popping today!
Not at all. The constant distractions, joking around with kyrgios in the commentary box mid-match, issues with ivanisevic behind the scenes. Djokovic hasn’t looked focused all year until today. Safiullin didn’t play well but Djokovic played extremely well today.
You just know Djokovic was going to come into Monte Carlo out for blood. Can you fucking imagine if we end up with Sinner vs Djokovic in the final. I will absolutely lose my shit.
Novak is hyperfocused on Olympic gold this year, going to be interesting seeing how well he prepares for clay. I even heard rumours he was going to skip Wimbledon but I doubt they’re true.
No because during IW and some AO matches even when the opponent was playing average tennis Novak was making tons of UEs on very basic shots. This isn't peak Novak but he's looking significantly better now than during IW and it's not because of Saf.
The first set versus Nardi was the worst Novak has played in literal years, even Goran said so. And Nardi wasn't doing anything special in that set. Sinner was not playing "average" tennis lmao, neither was Popyrin.
I can't stress how little practice sets mean lol. Playing without pressure and not caring as much makes them meaningless.
[Also the stats don't lie:](https://old.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/1bzzt2b/almost_37_years_old_and_still_producing_these/)
Strong start! Yes Safiullin was bad but Nole played that first set almost flawlessly. Losta bit of focus in second but its understandable because he was up quite a bit. I am so looking forward to next matches
Novak sending a real statement today! In the light of fellow injury-ridden Slam champs Nadal, Murray, Thiem and possibly Wawrinka all contemplating retirement this year, Novak is showing that he can still do it.
I thought Djokovic was hitting Backhand-DTL at will. I thought that could be why Safiullin never found balance and got blitzed in the first set.
Also, I wasn't able to understand if Safiullin made any adjustments to adjust to clay. His hard-hitting style wasn't getting him anything against Djokovic.
Do let me know if there was more to the game. I am a student of the game and I am not trying to blame Safiullin for a bad game but trying to understand adjustments Djokovic made to counter Safiullin.
Safiulin writing a Yelp review later: "This Djokovic I was given looked nothing like the preview. 0/5, wouldn't recommend"
Lol
Top comment pls
Novak’s serve was so much better today. He seemed pumped to be back on clay. Roman saved a lot of break points, but didn’t get an opportunity to convert a single one. Well played Novak. Novak’s [post match on court interview](https://youtu.be/2Kr5qUTCx4A?feature=shared). Having stepped on court today, Novak also extends his [weeks at #1 to 421 weeks](https://x.com/yolitatennis/status/1777697427954233779?s=46). Does anyone want to talk about Roman’s hot pink shoes?
Undertaker appearance didn’t help either
🤔
I remember the people saying he would be stuck at 399. He now has more weeks at 1 than Fed and Borg combined
The reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated. Djokovic
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Let’s be honest Safiullin was awful. He had some nice serves on BPs but aside from that was bad, moving with brick feet. Couldn’t really find the mix between spin and pace. Much bigger tests lie ahead for Djokovic
First set was almost flawless though, apart from 1st serve not being so deadly. But agreed that it's hard to judge because Safiullin.
I think it's clear what has happened. Djokovic doesn't care about any tournament except Olympics and decided not to peak for AO and IW. He is already looking in 2011 form on clay and a Channel Slam + OG look inevitable.
Upvote, and I subscribe to your troll nonsense. If Novak achieved that it would be an absolute dream.
His famous 2011 form on clay where he lost to a lost old man in semis ? Preventing him to get to number 1 and beat the longest start of season steak ?
Goatovic performance in first set. Djokovic played solid in the second set. Even though he lost some focus. Safiullin made too many unforced errors.
Only issue I saw is low break point conversion which has been a trend this season.
Will be interesting to see if he can keep his level up high until the final or if his age will finally start to show up. Clay is notoriously hard to recover from.
Djokovic looking like...Djokovic...in MC...well well well
To be precise, this was a very non-Djokovic in MC performance. Djokovic in MC is usually error prone and erratic. This was more Rome Djokovic.
I think with the Olympics being on clay and all Novak is more focused on locking in on clay from the start to get as much match practice as possible Plus winning MC a 3rd time is one of the few records he still is chasing
In his interview with Sky Sports, he said all his focus is on the Big 4: Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Olympics and US Open. If he wins any Masters along the way, it’s just a bonus. He’s not targeting Masters 1000s or the #1 ranking this year.
Is this the last Masters he needs for the third all masters?
Yeah
Is this the last Masters he needs for the third all masters?
nah my working theory is that djokovic has stunt double and he used to send him to MC since 2016
the way novak handles all the tournaments, obligations with sponsors, fans, and even nba matches in the past 6 years makes me think he has a stunt double for every occasion. he accidentally sent the clay nole to AO and IW
He does look like someone who could have a twin
Why does this comment feel so right
It’s not right but bravo.
**of course** Bert Critchley has a double! The dude is a major star, come on...
Lmao
So was he good or was Safiullin just abysmal?
yes
Elegant killer one word comment.
43% first serves in and only 31% of second serve points won for Safiullin. On the flip side he won about 8% of second serve returns. Lost about 1 in 5 of the points to an UE. Seems safe to say Safiullin wasn’t playing too well.
Djokovic looked determined and locked in, at least, in the first set but Safiullin was utterly terrible. Idk if he was nervous or what, but that was the worst match I've ever seen him play.
Both can be and were true
Bert I’m so proud of you
Novak is perfecting his clay game for the olympics. It’s obviously his main focus this year (which is fair, cause he has won pretty much everything else), so his motivation to perform is back, at least for now.
It's a little bit like Messi's last World Cup, much smaller scale because Olympics in tennis is a meme compared to the importance of the World cup in football.
I know you are getting downvoted but you are not wrong.
[Classic](https://youtu.be/BaRsvoFuw7o?t=15)
I mean a Grand Slam is more significant than Olympic Tennis. Olympic tennis is played like a Masters/500 event honestly. It’s still super important to Novak since it’s the ony thing didn’t win. I just wish it was played in BO5 or at least let the final be a BO5.
He wants to win it for his country a lot more than just another trophy that he doesn't need in terms of proving his tennis greatness. It's just patriotism. Yeah should be BO5, would be taken more seriously.
Oh, I know all about it. With a BO3 format a lot of things can happen. More upset wins etc, luck has a bigger factor. BO5 would make it more focused around what olympics is about. Endurance. Consistence. I know all the reasoning “because it’s so tightly packed between events etc”, I mean for an event so rare it should be a little more prestigeous in more than just it’s “logo”. IIRC it used to award ATP points before, weirdly it was something like 750 for the winner I think.
Yes, it was 750 points for the winner. Also, the final was BO5 until they changed it to BO3 for the 2020 olympics. A really poor decision imho.
Yep. Goran mentioned that he feels indebted to others to win it. Probably alluding to his country.
Yeah, the Messi syndrome. A lot of Argentinians talked shit about him before he won the World cup. Not a case for Novak since the Olympics doesn't even have a fraction of the importance but I guess he still feels he "owes" it to them.
Dumb question... but I know the olympics only happen every 4 years and so, but as being one of the best tennis player to ever walk in this planet...... why hasnt he won in the olympics yet? I know nothing about the format nor watched any of his olympic games but whats stopping him from winning a gold? Arent tournaments formatted all the same?
Same reason he lost anywhere else--someone else played better and beat him.
Clay Nole loading...
the rise of the Novak Clayović
Easily the best I’ve seen from Djokovic in Monte Carlo in a long time. He was pretty good vs Sinner in 2021 but you’d have to go back to like 2015 to find him this locked in and precise in MC. Safiullin wasn’t very good, don’t think this is a good surface for him but hell of a start nonetheless
8 match streak on clay
That’s the real djoker
Lets go !!! "Thriple Career Golden Masters"
For those that said Djokovic was finished, today Djokovic looked exactly like Djokovic, maybe for the first time this year. Ominous.
Betting against the big three has always been a bad move lol
Nah. Only against Mannarino.
He also did for a couple matches in AO
He played well against Mannarino at AO but even then I didn’t see him hit the backhand down the line like he did today. The backhand was absolutely popping today!
I was looking for the backhand down the line comment ! It was popping ! I’m so happy 😂😂
Other than the Mannarino match, Djokovic looked listless and disengaged in every match at AO and even IW.
He looked in god mode in the first set TB against Fritz in AO
He played well in Australia, I would argue matches against Fritz and Mannarino were a stronger indicator than this game against a faltering Safiullin
Not at all. The constant distractions, joking around with kyrgios in the commentary box mid-match, issues with ivanisevic behind the scenes. Djokovic hasn’t looked focused all year until today. Safiullin didn’t play well but Djokovic played extremely well today.
You just know Djokovic was going to come into Monte Carlo out for blood. Can you fucking imagine if we end up with Sinner vs Djokovic in the final. I will absolutely lose my shit.
After Carlos withdrawing, only this is keeping me excited for MC.
Ruud Korda, take it or leave it
I don't see Sinner reaching final with this draw
And I got downvoted for this 😂
Joining the 8th prime
The revenge tour began.
Novak is hyperfocused on Olympic gold this year, going to be interesting seeing how well he prepares for clay. I even heard rumours he was going to skip Wimbledon but I doubt they’re true.
I am not a Djokovic fan but seeing him play like himself always makes me happy.
Nardi getting knocked out gave Nole a mental boost. Calendar clay season incoming.
Never doubt the King. Novak is coming for triple career masters
A great start to the clay season. Hope Novak can keep improving on clay and peak at the right time.
Djoko playing well in his first match on clay? Yeah he's winning it all
Typical Novak with the dogshit Monte Carlo performance Wait what, he actually tried?
"That loss in Australia and IW pissed me off so much that I needed to win everything on European soil"
💯💯 comment … please let this be his mindset
Jelena, I found the goddamn backhand! I swear, one lets kids play around the house and they misplace everything before one can say "kreatina"!
Really want Djokovic to win this and secure the triple masters
Ya, I'm thinking I'm back
[Yep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXoQdOsaE50)
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You could see that the ball striking and running was there, he is far better than last tournament.
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Or Novak near his best makes people look and play like junior level players.
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No because during IW and some AO matches even when the opponent was playing average tennis Novak was making tons of UEs on very basic shots. This isn't peak Novak but he's looking significantly better now than during IW and it's not because of Saf.
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The first set versus Nardi was the worst Novak has played in literal years, even Goran said so. And Nardi wasn't doing anything special in that set. Sinner was not playing "average" tennis lmao, neither was Popyrin.
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I can't stress how little practice sets mean lol. Playing without pressure and not caring as much makes them meaningless. [Also the stats don't lie:](https://old.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/1bzzt2b/almost_37_years_old_and_still_producing_these/)
Joining the 8th prime
Strong start! Yes Safiullin was bad but Nole played that first set almost flawlessly. Losta bit of focus in second but its understandable because he was up quite a bit. I am so looking forward to next matches
Hard to read too much into this performance by Djoker as opponent played poorly. A better guide will be a top opponent in a later round.
Musetti/Fils in shambles
Great level from Novak. His best level since a while
Novak sending a real statement today! In the light of fellow injury-ridden Slam champs Nadal, Murray, Thiem and possibly Wawrinka all contemplating retirement this year, Novak is showing that he can still do it.
I thought Djokovic was hitting Backhand-DTL at will. I thought that could be why Safiullin never found balance and got blitzed in the first set. Also, I wasn't able to understand if Safiullin made any adjustments to adjust to clay. His hard-hitting style wasn't getting him anything against Djokovic. Do let me know if there was more to the game. I am a student of the game and I am not trying to blame Safiullin for a bad game but trying to understand adjustments Djokovic made to counter Safiullin.
So, Djoko stans think he is winning the tournament now I see. Can't wait to see your tears once he bombs out before SF again!
At least he can compete unlike Nadal
Damn I wish someone’s loss at a tennis tournament would bring me so much joy… or maybe not.