Novak Djokovic’s red clay season has started in the worst possible way. The 24-time Grand Slam champion had put in a string of good performances at the Miami Open last month, reaching the final after a brilliant run and making it clear that he is still competitive at the highest level.

The first huge event on red clay – the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 – left very bad feelings in the mind of the Serbian legend, who was again defeated by the Chilean ace Alejandro Tabilo after playing a horrible match from all points of view.

The former world number 1 has decided to also play the Mutua Madrid Open this year with the aim of regaining confidence and playing as many matches as possible, but not even the presence of Andy Murray in his box has prevented yet another premature elimination.

His run at the Caja Magica – where he triumphed three times in his legendary career – ended already in the second round against Italian player Matteo Arnaldi, who grew up idolizing Djokovic and has confessed it on several occasions.

Djokovic’s crisis continues

There is no doubt that Nole will show up at Roland Garros with very little confidence, unless he gets a good result at the Rome Masters 1000. Novak’s shots no longer have the same effectiveness as they used to and his movements are also no longer as fast, without forgetting that opponents enter the court with much more awareness when facing him.

In a recent interview with ‘L’Equipe’, Nicolas Mahut analyzed the tough moment the Serbian star is going through: “At this point in his career, he struggles a lot to raise his level when he needs to. This problem is particularly evident in tournaments outside the Slams, where he still manages to make a difference because he is really motivated.

I don’t rule out that he could surprise everyone in Paris, but if he is not in the top four seeds he could face a very tough rival already in the quarterfinals. I don’t know if he has the energies to beat three top players in a row in best-of-five sets matches.”