Djokovic's Head Not Very Focused In Tennis At The Moment Says Former World No. 12
ATP
Novak Djokovic's third-round exit from this year's Indian Wells Open has clearly surprised plenty of people, including former World No. 12 Paolo Bertolucci.
Djokovic was the bookies' favorite to win the Indian Wells Masters despite taking a near two-month absence from tennis following his semifinal defeat at the Australian Open. He arrived in the United States much earlier to acclimatize to the conditions and embrace social life.
But on the court, he struggled to rediscover his winning form. He needed three sets to beat World No. 69 Aleksandar Vukic and admitted to being "worried" after the match the moment he lost a set.
Perhaps that was a bad omen of some sort because Djokovic lost in the next round to Italian lucky loser Luca Nardi. It remains the biggest upset of the 2024 season and one of Djokovic's earliest defeats at an ATP tournament since last year's Monte-Carlo Masters, where he lost to another Italian (Lorenzo Musetti).
Bertolucci was part of the Italian team that won a maiden Davis Cup in 1976. His biggest ATP title was the Habmurg Masters, which he captured in 1977 when he defeated former US Open champion Manuel Orantes in the final.
Overall, he collected six career titles before his retirement in 1983. The 72-year-old is currently working as a match commentator for Sky Italia and recently revealed the details of a conversation he had with Serbian colleagues regarding Djokovic's form.
"I spoke with some Serbian collegues. Apparently, at the moment, Djokovic's head is not very focused in tennis. He will probably take some days off and then try to reach his best level for the clay season."
That appears to be the case because Djokovic recently announced his withdrawal from next week's Miami Masters and will prepare for the upcoming European clay swing. Nevertheless, the 36-year-old will remain at World No. 1 until mid-April at the very least.
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