Djokovic Happy With 'Ugly Tennis Win' In Monte Carlo
ATPWednesday, 12 April 2023 at 05:30
Updated at Monday, 21 April 2025 at 18:39
Novak Djokovic had to fight to get through Ivan Gakhov at the Monte-Carlo Masters, but ultimately, he managed to win the match in straight sets.
The Serbian player beat World No. 198 Ivan Gakhov 7-6(5), 6-2. It was not a scoreline that Djokovic's fans expected, but the most important thing was that he got through the hurdle.
In the first set of the match, Djokovic came relatively close to losing it, but he ultimately showed his experience, and despite playing far from his best, won this match in two sets, which he was obviously happy about, despite being critical about his performance.
"It was probably, if you can call it this way, an ugly tennis win for me today. I haven't played my best, particularly in the first set. And I kind of expected that that was going to happen in a way with swirly conditions, a lot of wind today, changing directions."
"It's different practising and then playing an official match on clay, [where] I guess no two bounces are the same. It's always quite unpredictable what's going to happen. But all in all, I'm just pleased with the way I held my nerves I think in the important moments and I managed to clinch the two-set win."
At the same time, Djokovic didn't want to take anything away from his opponent. The Serbian player recognized that Gakhov just played a great match.
"I never saw Ivan play before today, to be honest. I've seen a little bit of his video from yesterday's match, and that's all. That was not the best preparation, but he's a young player coming up from the Challenger Tour, and he just was on a roll."
"He knows how to play, no doubt about it. Big serve, forehand, flat backhand, stepping in. So it was a very tricky opponent for today, but I'm glad I overcame the challenge."
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