Novak Djokovic candidly addressed a disappointing “new reality” for him after his 2025 Madrid Open heartbreak. The Serb crashed out of the tournament in his opening match.

Djokovic, the fourth seed, received a bye in the opening round. He started his campaign against Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi on Saturday, April 26. Arnaldi, unseeded, had booked his place into the second round after a victory of narrow margins against Borna Coric (4-6, 6-4, 7-5).

Djokovic started the contest on the back foot, losing his opening service game, but broke his opponent right back to eventually level the score. The Serb, however, couldn’t keep pace with Arnaldi, who clinched a decisive break in the eighth game of the set and ultimately secured a 6-3 lead.

The players went neck-and-neck in the first six games of the second set before Matteo Arnaldi converted a solitary break point against the three-time Madrid Open champion in the seventh game. The dominant Italian closed the contest in one hour and 42 minutes, with the score reading 6-3, 6-4.

This was Novak Djokovic’s third consecutive defeat after his final loss in Miami and his opening-match exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters. In his post-match press conference in Madrid, the Serb conveyed that he wasn’t expecting to have a remarkable run but was hoping to do at least one better than his previous tournament.

“Not big (expectations) at all, to be honest. I was hoping I can play one more match than I played in Monte-Carlo.”

Djokovic called losing matches early his “new reality.” This is not the first time in 2025 that he’s on a three-match losing streak. The 24-time Grand Slam champion produced a similar streak after his semifinal exit at the Australian Open, losing his next two matches in Doha and Indian Wells.

“Kind of new reality for me, I have to say. You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament. It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis,” he emotionally admitted via The Tennis Letter.

The Serb candidly indicated that he finds it mentally difficult to accept the recent string of results.

“It’s kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face these kinds of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments,” he said. “But, you know, that’s, I guess, the circle of life and the career eventually it was going to happen.”

Novak Djokovic addresses his chances in Paris after Madrid Open 2025 exit

Despite the setback, Novak Djokovic maintained his optimism about the rest of the season.

“Now I’m trying to use this as a driving force for the future,” he said in the aforementioned press conference.

The Serb clarified that although he has frequently emphasized his focus on Grand Slams, he also wishes to do well at other tournaments.

“Obviously Grand Slams, I was saying many times, are the most important tournaments for me. Which doesn’t mean that I don’t want to win here, of course I wanted to.”

He reiterated, though, that Majors remain his ultimate goal despite the looming uncertainty over his chances at the French Open.

“But, you know, Grand Slams is where I really want to play the best tennis. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that in Roland Garros, but I’ll do my best,” he said.

It remains to be seen whether Novak Djokovic will compete at the Italian Open (May 7-18) before his run at the Paris Major.