Playing for the first time since February after missing the season on US hard courts due to vaccination problems against Covid-19, Djokovic lost 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 in just under three hours. . Djokovic faced 20 break points and was broken in no less than nine cases, as his opponent, at No. 46 in the world, came together after a significant setback in the second set to score the best victory of his career. Davidovic Fokina said after the match: “This victory is so special for me because I grew up watching Nole [Djokovic] and I’m a big fan of it. I knew Nole was not confident because he did not play much this season… I had my chances at the start of the game and I used them. “When he won the second set it was difficult mentally, but I work hard to stay focused. “I had to prepare for war.” Djokovic clearly needs more training if he wants to end a difficult year – which began with his dismissal before the Australian Open in January – improving his 20 Grand Slam titles. A two-time winner in Monte Carlo, Djokovic was looking for a quick defeat when he lost the first set and then broke immediately at the beginning of the second. The Spaniard showed his inexperience with a pointless dive at the beginning of the seventh game of the set, causing fears of injury and allowing Djokovic to score 10 points in a row, as he broke and loved to take the upper hand. The momentum turned in the direction of Davidovic Fokina when Djokovic, serve for the set, made four mistakes that were not forced to allow his opponent to make a break back and finally force a tiebreak. However, having returned from 4-2 to win the tie-break, Djokovic’s recent inaction was revealed as he broke three more times in a one-sided decisive set. Earlier, Britain’s Dan Evans reached the second round after securing a 6-0 7-6 (4) victory over Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi. Meanwhile, four-time singles Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters has retired from professional tennis. The 38-year-old, who finished her second retirement in 2019 after a seven-year hiatus, announced on Tuesday that “she will no longer play official tournaments”. The former No. 1 in the world wrote on Instagram: “I can’t wait to see what new adventures will cross my path”.
