World No.1, Novak Djokovic is not having a great time this year, both on and off the tennis court. Owing to his vaccination status, the Serb was denied entry into Australia and the US and subsequently missed major tournaments including the Australian Open. The only tournaments he has been able to play this year are the Dubai Open and the Monte Carlo Masters. After his early exit from the Monte Carlo Masters, the 20-time Grand Slam winner is currently preparing to play his third tournament of the season. He is the top seed at the Serbian Open on his home soil in Belgrade. Before that tournament, he was practicing with a young Danish player; the player posted on his social media.
Holger Rune practices with Novak Djokovic before the Serbian Open
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After Monte Carlo Masters, the Serbian Open was the only tournament that was on Djokovic’s schedule. As he’s preparing for the tournament, he has been having an intense practice session with an 18-year-old Danish tennis player, Holger Rune. Currently ranked 72 in the ATP rankings, Rune recently tweeted a video of his practice session with the 20-time Grand Slam winner.
In the caption, he wrote, “Good practice with @DjokerNole today.”
Good practice with @DjokerNole today 👊🏼
📍@SerbiaOpen2022
🎥 @NLekicc pic.twitter.com/xmW7jKHoxv— Holger Rune (@holgerrune2003) April 17, 2022
Notably, the Danish player qualified for the main draw at the recently concluded Monte Carlo Masters. He succumbed to Casper Ruud in his Round-of-32 clash. Earlier, he reached the second round at the Indian Wells Masters as well, where he lost to Matteo Berrettini.
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Djokovic’s uncertain road to Roland Garros
On his comeback trail, Novak Djokovic unceremoniously crumbled in his tournament opener at the Monte Carlo Masters. Unfortunately, the Serb lost to the eventual finalist, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, running out of gas in the deciding set.
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During his post-match conference, Djokovic revealed that he felt physically exhausted during the course of the match, especially in the deciding set. Also, his coach, Goran Ivanisevic added that he was not physically fit before the start of the tournament.
Putting his disappointments behind him, the Serb should be hopeful of bouncing back in his home tournament in Belgrade. After receiving a bye in his opening round, Djokovic will begin his campaign in the Round-of-16 at the Serbian Open.
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Can Djokovic regroup himself and recover to enjoy a string outing at the Serbian Open? Let us know in the comments.