Djokovic Happy With 'Ugly Tennis Win' In Monte Carlo

| by Zlatko Vodenicharov

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic faced unexpected turbulence in his second-round match at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters.

Ultimately, the Serb triumphed over World No. 198 Ivan Gakhov in a hard-fought 7-6(5), 6-2 victory. Despite less-than-stellar conditions and a challenging opponent, Djokovic demonstrated his ability to win also matches that aren't going well for him.

In the opening set, Djokovic was far from his usual dominant self, struggling to find his rhythm amidst swirling winds and a highly motivated Gakhov. The young Russian player pushed Djokovic to the brink of losing the first set.

The 34-time Masters 1000 champion, however, drew upon his wealth of experience to navigate the critical moments, ultimately securing the opening set in a tense tiebreak. Addressing his performance in the post-match interview, Djokovic admitted:

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"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."

He went on to discuss the difficulty of adapting to the unpredictable nature of clay-court play in such windy conditions, noting that practice sessions hardly compare to the real thing.

"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."

Djokovic also acknowledged Gakhov's great performance, revealing that he had limited knowledge of his opponent's playing style prior to the 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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