‘Now No One Can Know’ – Tennis Legend Casts a Shadow on Novak Djokovic’s Form Ahead of His Monte Carlo Return

Novak Djokovic has seen his fare share of drama this year concerning his vaccination status and permission from authorities to enter certain countries.  In a highly publicized visa debacle, he was not allowed to defend his title at the Australian Open this year. He opened up about being true to his principles and has mentioned how he is willing to let go of tournaments and potential titles to uphold his beliefs.

Given how much time he is spending out of the ATP tour, even though he is physically fit to compete, former tennis player Brad Gilbert says that it might be good to lower one’s expectations from the Serb right off the bat.

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Gilbert feels that the form of Novak Djokovic will be a ‘real mystery”

“Before the health crisis changed the situation, Novak was truly untouchable. Now no one can know, now it is a real mystery. Suddenly, you’re in great shape, and you can’t play. It’s horrible and mentally it must be demanding and frustrating,” Gilbert said, when asked about his opinion on how well Djokovic will be able to cope given the number of tournaments he’s having to give up.

Tennis – ATP 500 – Dubai Tennis Championships – The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – February 24, 2022 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic waves to the crowd after he loses his quarter final match against Czech Republic’s Jiri Vesely REUTERS/Suhaib Salem“Things are getting better now, but we have to be careful before his performances in Europe. We’ll see if he manages to find his real game or not. Maybe it will work,” the American concluded.

Everyone knows how important match practice is for athletes, especially in an individual sport like tennis. But, this year, Djokovic has been able to play only one tournament at the Dubai Tennis Championships as UAE does not have a vaccine mandate. As always a favorite to win, he was surprisingly defeated by Jiri Vesely, who won the match in straight sets.

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Things however are looking up for the Serb and many countries are revising their vaccination policies. He is slated to play at the Monte Carlo Masters followed by the Serbia Open in Belgrade. Given that the current policies prevail, Djokovic has the green signal for French Open and Wimbledon as well, where he’ll be attempting to defend his titles and looks to surpass Rafael Nadal in the GOAT race.