Alarm Bells Ring for Novak Djokovic as He Finds Himself in an Unfamiliar Spot, 4 Months Into the Season

Four months into the season, and Novak Djokovic is facing an unfamiliar foe: uncertainty. Tennis’s dominant force for so long, Djokovic finds himself struggling for form and results. With a string of unexpected losses and a new generation of players on the rise, Djokovic’s grip on the top spot seems less secure than ever. While strandings of the “ATP Race after Monte-Carlo” are out, the World No. 1 is clinging in an unusual position.

For the unversed, the top eight players, as per the ATP Race, are selected to play. However, if a player is a current-Grand Slam holder and is not in the top eight, they are chosen for the eighth spot. Unfortunately for the fans of the Serbinator, their favorite fails to qualify at the moment. Despite ranking 1 in the world currently, he has not earned enough points this season to be in the qualification zone for the Race to Turin. The young guns are making their mark on the Top 8.

Renowned journalist and tennis commentator José Morgado recently shared the list of the players who are in the top eight. Djokovic currently occupies the 9th spot after Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz, Alex De Minaur, Grigor Dimitrov and Stefanos Tsitsipas, being on the first eight positions respectively. 

Sinner, who is at the Top in these strandings, is the one who was successful in upsetting Djokovic in the semis of the Australian Open 2024. He not only defeated the World no. 1 but also ended his 33-match winning streak since 2018 from Melbourne Park. However, previous year boasts a different tale.

Being a dominant force throughout the year, Djoker Novak Djokovic cemented his legacy as the ATP Finals king in November 2023. Djokovic won his 7th consecutive ATP Finals title by beating Sinner in straight sets.

Djokovic is currently taking a break and will appear in the Madrid Open, where he will look to bring major changes to the list. However, he has been experiencing physical issues, which might impede his attempt to move up the table.

Novak Djokovic ‘hit the wall’ during Monte-Carlo

Transitioning from the high-speed action of the hard court to the slower clay can be a bit challenging for some. The Serbinator felt the challenge. He found a chance to take revenge against Lorenzo Musetti from the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters. While he took victory with him, he found it a bit troublesome. In the post-match press conference, Djokovic stated that he did not feel physically fit enough to play the match on his own accord at times.

“Well, I must say that at some moments of the game today, I was really not feeling great physically. But that’s also part of the first several matches on clay.” He further said facing Musetti was not easy, and one has to work very hard physically. “Very much possible that it will happen where you will somehow hit the wall physically, and you have to kind of find a way up from that.”

The Djoker is exhibiting some issues with keeping up with the rest of the competition on the Tour, falling just short of the finals twice. Will he be able to recover and play in the ATP Finals?