Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Monte Carlo Masters Wednesday after suffering a shock defeat by world No. 55 Jiri Vesely.
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“It’s disappointing to lose the first match playing at home in a way”, Djokovic said.
Djokovic had tightened his iron grip on the sport in recent months, winning nine of his last 10 tournaments, with the only blemish in that run coming when he was forced to retire against Feliciano Lopez in Dubai due to an eye problem.
But today, Djokovic actually lost a match point as Jiri Vesely pulled off the upset of the 2016 season thus far.
Djokovic saved a match point to hold for 5-4 but Vesely put nerves aside to take his second chance when the top seed put a forehand wide.
Vesely’s power had Djokovic penned back throughout an error-strewn first set.
Novak Djokovic lost Wednesday, a surprising development for the world’s No. 1 tennis player. “The time off will serve me well, mentally mostly”. “But I have confidence because I have been practising very well these weeks”, Nadal said.
Vesely won 6-4 2-6 6-4 in what was his first meeting with the Serb.
At that stage, Djokovic seemed to have overcome the danger but Vesely got the better of three successive breaks at the start of the third.
After all, that tournament is the only major that Djokovic has not won to date.
Nadal will next play Austrian 12th seed Dominic Thiem, who beat him in a February clay semi-final in Buenos Aires.
He moves on to face Gael Monfils next.
No. 4 Stan Wawrinka, the 2014 champion, also advanced past Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (2), 7-5 into the third round and next faces No. 15 Gilles Simon of France.
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Meanwhile, Roger Federer and Andy Murray, who also had first round byes, took easy victories in their own first matches.
