Forced to Borrow Clothes From Andrey Rublev, Novak Djokovic’s 26-Year-Old Monte Carlo Masters Opponent Has an Awe-Inspiring Tennis Journey

The 2023 Monte Carlo Masters promised to be an exciting one for Ivan Gakhov. The Russian, who is ranked World No. 198 in the ATP rankings, faced World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in a second-round match. For Gakhov, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show the world his abilities as a tennis player. However, Djokovic put his dreams of causing an upset to end quite comfortably.

Despite Gakhov’s loss, his appearance in the second round of an ATP 1000 tournament still makes for a special story. Until three days ago, Gakhov wasn’t even sure if he would get into the qualifying rounds.

Gakhov’s exciting journey to Monte Carlo and a face-off with Novak Djokovic

Gakhov’s hopes of getting into contention for the Monte Carlo Masters depended on him being selected as an alternate. Initially, his hopes seemed bleak, but eventually, he did make it into the qualifying rounds. After two wins in the qualifying rounds, he made it into the tournament’s first round, where he put up an impressive display to defeat American Mackenzie McDonald.

This set him up for a clash against the World No. 1 in the second round. In an interview, Gakhov expressed his elation at the developments that have shaken up his world in the last few days. “Even dreaming I think it’s tough to understand what just happened the last couple of days”. He went on to say, “No matter points, money, the best reward is to play the greatest of all time tomorrow. That’s the best I could ask for.”

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While Djokovic made easy work of Gakhov in the end, prior to the match, the Russian was full of praises for the Serbian tennis legend. “I really love Novak, so usually I always cheer for him and he was playing these crazy matches against Rafa and Federer, so it’s really an honor.”

Unlike Djokovic, Gakhov went into the game without a sponsor

For tennis fans used to seeing the top players in the world, sponsorships are almost always taken for granted. However, for struggling professionals like Gakhov, sponsorships are luxuries. In fact, Gakhov went into his match with Djokovic without a sponsor, as an Instagram Story post revealed.

The post praised Gakhov for his relentless perseverance that allowed him to make it to the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters. It also revealed that he would wear clothes that Andrey Rublev gave him.

The match, unsurprisingly, turned out to be in Djokovic’s favor. However, Gakhov stood up to Djokovic’s might in the first set before the Serb defeated the Russian 7-6. Disappointingly for Gakhov, Djokovic dominated the second set and won it 6-2.

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