‘Didn’t Expect Myself to Be No. 1’ – Novak Djokovic Feels Lucky to Maintain Ranking Despite Playing Few Matches

In a few days, the current world no.1 Novak Djokovic returns to tennis at Monte Carlo after a long layoff. Even after not playing many tournaments in recent times, the Serb still maintained his no.1 position in the ATP rankings. Before he starts his clay-court campaign at Monte Carlo, he spoke in his press conference about holding on to the top spot.

Novak Djokovic feels lucky to be still the no.1 player in the world

On the 12th of April, 20-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic will start his campaign at the Monte Carlo Masters.

“I didn’t expect myself to be No. 1 without playing really tournaments this year, but I guess I was lucky. I’ll take it. I’ll try to maintain that position as much as possible,” Djokovic said.

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Meanwhile, Djokovic did lose his no.1 position to the Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev. After his quarterfinal loss to Jiri Vesely at the Dubai Open, the Serb gave way to Daniil Medvedev to seal his spot. However, due to Daniil’s poor run of form at the Indian Wells and Miami Open, Djokovic reclaimed his position at the top without playing any tournaments.

Djokovic is ready to take the challenge at Monte Carlo Masters

In the round of 32 of Monte Carlo, Djokovic will face young Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. As Novak will be playing his first match in over a month, this will be a tough contest for the Serb. Also, Djokovic will face a much younger opponent in Davidovich Fokina who beat USA’s Marcos Giron in straight sets.

Meanwhile, if Djokovic wins his first couple of matches, he will potentially face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-final. Recently, the 18-year-old Spaniard won the Miami Open after beating Casper Ruud in the final. Even at Indian Wells, Alcaraz showed outstanding form by reaching the semi-finals, where he lost to Rafael Nadal.

Meanwhile, after not playing for months, Novak’s lack of match practice will be the main cause of concern for him. It could take him a few tournaments to get going. But, he will still be the favorite to win the French Open if he can emulate last year’s form.

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