Richard Pagliaro | @tennis_now | Saturday, April 26, 2025
Image source: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
Novak Djokovic The last forehand sprayed a 6-3, 6-4 Madrid loss loss to Matteo Arnaldi today.
Minutes later, Djokovic said the fire was likely his Mutua Madrid open breakup.
The 37-year-old Serbian superstar said his third loss could be his last game.
“Maybe,” Djokovic told the media in Madrid today. “I'm not sure if I'll be back. So, I don't know, I don't know what to say.
“I mean, of course I'll be back, maybe not as a player. I hope not, but maybe.”
Djokovic's face on the court is one of the longevity champions Pancho Gonzalez, Ken Rosewall, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
Raising age usually means players have to reduce their schedules to keep the Grand Slam healthy. However, without a consistent match, they lose the clarity, consistency and confidence of the match.
Suddenly, the team once so conventional for Djokovic missed a trace in Madrid's heights once on the 30-year-old rally ball, and the breakout point could escalate to a crisis point.
Nineteen years after Djokovic beat Richard Gasquet in Madrid debut, he faced the “new reality” of his second three-game winning streak of the season.
The Grand Slam King has been forced to win the championship throughout his career.
Now, Djokovic admits winning the game is a challenge.
“To me, it's a little new reality,” Djokovic said. “You know, trying to win a game or two, rather than really thinking about going further in the game.
“It’s completely different from what I’ve felt in professional tennis for over 20 years, so it’s a challenge for me to really face this kind of feeling psychologically, now that it’s happening regularly in the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZKZVVQ81ZQ
Last August, Djokovic competed in the old-fashioned Djokovic at Dueling Carlos Alcaraz, 7-6, 7-6, to win the Olympic gold medal in Serbia.
Djokovic, who continues to pursue the 100th professional championship and a record 25th Grand Slam title, said he was driven by a significant pursuit. The former world No. 1 also saw the big picture and knew that Alcaraz had withdrawn from Madrid due to injury, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner will return to Rome, and his two leading competitors' numbers are not 100% for Paris.
This gave Miami finalist Djokovic hope, but he knew that winning was the only answer. Now, this hasn't happened yet.
“I'm trying to use it as a driving force for the future,” Djokovic said. “Obviously, the Grand Slam, I've said a lot of times, is my most important game. It doesn't mean I don't want to win here, I certainly think, but, you know, the Grand Slam is where I really want to play the best tennis.
“I’m not sure if I can do that at Roland Garros, but I’ll do my best.”
Roland Garros begins on May 25. The question is: Can Djokovic find his game and confidence next month? And if he does get deep in Paris, physically physically lowers his Wimbledon chances, the Grand Slam champion believes he is his 25th-big major in the best shot?
These problems are part of his “new reality”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhyg1xr072a
Based on his current three games, Djokovic said he is not an open favorite in France, hoping that it will relieve the pressure on him to want to win his first championship since Paris.
“Well, I mean, look, stress is part of the movement, and part of what we do at this highest level, so it never goes away, you know, it's just a different pressure,” Djokovic said. “But whenever I step onto the court, I feel nervous, I feel stressed, I feel all the other players feel and excited.
“So, still like competition, and honestly, it's getting more challenging for me. But, as I said, I'll do my best for the future. Grand Slam, I'm not going to make Roland Garros one of the main favorites. Maybe that might help me, I don't know, we know.”
