PARIS: Novak Djokovic says he has “high expectations” as he chases an elusive Olympic gold medal, with his confidence unshaken despite a poor year by his stellar standards.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not won a single title this season, losing in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final earlier this month.
He returns to Roland Garros for a fifth Olympics, attempting to improve on the bronze he earned on his debut at the 2008 Beijing Games.
The Serbian world number two faces a mouthwatering clash with Rafael Nadal if both players win their opening matches.
Djokovic has missed out on the podium at the past three Olympics, twice finishing fourth, including in Tokyo three years ago when his bid for a rare golden calendar Grand Slam came up short.
Carlos Alcaraz is the favorite for the title in Paris after landing his first French Open title and defending his Wimbledon crown, but Djokovic has made a habit of proving doubters wrong.
“When it comes to bookmakers, people will always talk,” Djokovic said at a Serbian team press conference on Thursday.
“I haven’t yet won a title in this calendar year so people tend to count me out, but it has happened before and it can always change. So it can be a motivator.”
The 37-year-old pulled out before his French Open quarter-final with a knee injury at the start of June but made a swift return following an operation in time to play at Wimbledon.
“I feel more ready now than I was for Wimbledon,” said Djokovic, who begins his Olympic campaign against Australia’s Matthew Ebden.
Djokovic has made no secret of the fact that winning Olympic gold remains one of his “biggest dreams,” as the only major honor missing from his list.
“The expectations are always high, which is something that I cannot change and don’t want to,” he said.
“Approaching Olympic Games is always a huge challenge for me because I put extra expectations and pressure on myself, and of course, the nation as well.”
“The objective is always the highest one,” he added. “I’m hoping I can perform by best and get to the medal match.”
The tournament will officially mark the end of Andy Murray’s career, with Nadal also nearing retirement, but Djokovic said he had no plans to hang up his racquet.
“I don’t have retirement close in my mind, to be honest even though I know a lot of people would love me to retire so this era is done,” he said.
A match between Djokovic and Nadal would be the 60th instalment of one the sport’s greatest rivalries.
Djokovic holds a 30-29 edge over the Spaniard, but the pair have not faced off since Nadal won their French Open quarter-final two years ago.
“I am excited for this duel in the second round, and I will give it my all,” he said.
Djokovic says don’t write me off for Olympic gold
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Djokovic says don’t write me off for Olympic gold
- The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not won a single title this season
- “When it comes to bookmakers, people will always talk,” Djokovic said
Alcaraz caps ‘difficult week’ with first Monte Carlo Masters title
- It marks a sixth Masters title for Alcaraz and is his most prestigious title since winning Wimbledon last year
- Alcaraz: Coming here and seeing how the whole hard work has paid off, I’m really happy
MONTE CARLO, Principality of Monaco: Carlos Alcaraz made the best possible start to his preparations for the defense of his French Open title, burning past the Italian Lorenzo Musetti in three sets on Sunday to win his first Monte Carlo Masters.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, already a four-time Grand Slam winner, dropped the opening set but came back hard to take the next two at the cost of a single game as he cleaned up 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, albeit helped by a limping Musetti.
It marks a sixth Masters title for Alcaraz and is his most prestigious title since winning Wimbledon last year.
It was also his first win on clay since winning the French Open last season, although in mitigation he only had one tournament after that when he missed out on gold at the Paris Olympics.
“I’m just really happy to have won Monte Carlo for the first time,” said Alcaraz who lost in his first match on his only previous appearance at the tournament in 2022.
“It’s been a really difficult week with a lot of difficult situations.
“I’m really proud of myself, how I’ve dealt with everything. It’s been a really difficult month for me on the court and outside.
“Coming here and seeing how the whole hard work has paid off, I’m really happy.”
Alcaraz chose not to expand on his difficulties but they may be eased partly by this win which will lift him up to No 2 in the world rankings, ahead of Alexander Zverev but still behind the suspended Jannik Sinner.
However, this was no easy win in chilly conditions against a man playing in his first Masters 1000 final after taking down two top 10 players, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur, to get there.
Musetti dropped his opening service but broke back straight away and took the fight to Alcaraz who, in spite of the odd blissful winner, appeared at odds with his game, making six unforced errors.
The Spaniard bounced back, however, lifting his game as he galloped through the second set 6-1.
That trend continued as Musetti began to have problems with his right leg, receiving treatment when he was 0-3 in the decider.
He battled on but could not live with the intensity or physicality of Alcaraz’s game.
“It is not the way I would have wanted to win a match,” said Alcaraz.
“Lorenzo’s been through a really tough week, long and intense matches.
“I feel sorry for him, one of the best results he has done. To end like this is not easy. Hopefully it’s not serious and he’s 100 percent soon.”
Some consolation for Musetti is a rise to No 11 in the rankings and the promise of more to come on the clay as the season gets underway.
“It was probably one of my best tournaments so far,” said Musetti who took bronze at last year’s Olympics behind Alcaraz and gold medallist Novak Djokovic.
“I’m disappointed I couldn’t finish the match in the best way, for the crowd. You deserve it so I will keep going and try and come back for revenge.”
Both Alcaraz and Musetti will continue their clay court preparations at the Barcelona Open next week in the buildup to the French Open at the end of May.
Ukraine and Spain qualify for Billie Jean King Cup Finals
RADOM, Poland: Elina Svitolina sent Ukraine to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the first time with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann to level the countries’ qualifier 1-1 on Saturday.
It ensured Ukraine tops Group E to qualify for the tournament in Shenzhen in September. Switzerland needed a flawless record against Ukraine to progress. Ukraine went on to win 2-1.
Spain also secured its place in the finals after Jessica Bouzas Maneiro defeated Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2 for an unassailable 2-0 lead in their meeting.
Bernarda Pera defeated Denmark’s Johanne Svendsen to give the United States a 2-0 lead in Group C. The US next faces host nation Slovakia on Sunday with the winner going through to the finals.
Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima saved two match points before beating Romania’s Anca Todoni 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 to win their meeting in Group A. It set up a decider against Canada on Sunday to determine which team qualifies for the finals.
Rybakina leads Kazakhstan to a 2-1 win over Australia in BJK Cup
- Czech Republic beat Brazil 2-1 in Ostrava in Group B, while the Netherlands cruised past Germany 3-0 in The Hague in Group F
- Poland, without French Open champion Iga Swiatek after the world No. 2 opted out of the tournament to focus on her training ahead of the clay season, beat Switzerland 3-0 in Radom
BRISBANE: Elena Rybakina showcased her prowess to beat Kimberly Birrell 6-3 7-6(4) as Kazakhstan secured a 2-1 win over Australia in their Billie Jean King Cup Group D qualifier in Brisbane on Thursday.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, went down an early break but cranked up her powerful forehand and drew level after six games before claiming the opening set with an ace.
Birrell raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set but squandered a set point and Rybakina clawed her way back with some ferocious shot-making to clinch victory in the tiebreak.
“It was such a difficult match,” said Rybakina, who secured her eighth victory in 10 singles matches since her debut in the competition in 2021.
“I’m super happy to bring the win for the team ... it’s always nice to be back in Australia.”
Earlier at the Pat Rafter Arena, Yulia Putintseva gave Kazakhstan an early lead with a 6-2 6-1 win over debutant Maya Joint.
However, Australia’s Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez claimed the third match of the night with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Anna Danilina and Zhibek Kulambayeva in the doubles.
Czech Republic beat Brazil 2-1 in Ostrava in Group B, while the Netherlands cruised past Germany 3-0 in The Hague in Group F.
Poland, without French Open champion Iga Swiatek after the world No. 2 opted to skip their Group E ties to focus on her training ahead of the clay season, beat Switzerland 3-0 in Radom.
Jessica Pegula and Danielle Collins were among a trio of players to withdraw from the US team, which plays Denmark on Saturday in Group C, for the three-day qualifiers.
Teams have been divided into six round-robin groups of three in the qualifiers this year with the winners joining hosts China and 2024 champions Italy at the Finals in Shenzhen toward the end of the season.
Alcaraz eases into Monte Carlo quarterfinals, Draper out
- Alexei Popyrin saved match points as he beat 2024 runner-up Casper Ruud and eighth-seeded Alex de Minaur dismantled ninth seed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets
- Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has won the tournament in three of the last four years, brushed aside Nuno Borges
MONTE CARLO, Principality of Monaco: Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinals for the first time on Thursday with a straight-sets win over Daniel Altmaier.
British fifth seed Jack Draper was knocked out by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, while Lorenzo Musetti won an all-Italian duel against a limping Matteo Berrettini.
Elsewhere, Alexei Popyrin saved match points as he beat 2024 runner-up Casper Ruud and eighth-seeded Alex de Minaur dismantled ninth seed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has won the tournament in three of the last four years, brushed aside Nuno Borges. Grigor Dimitrov ended the day by overcoming Alejandro Tabilo.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz brushed aside 84th-ranked German Altmaier 6-3, 6-1 to set up a last-eight clash with rising French star Arthur Fils on Friday.
“His (Fils’) level is really high right now,” said Alcaraz. “I saw a little bit from his match today, and he’s playing great.”
Alcaraz took some time to find his rhythm as Altmaier broke back to level at 3-3 in the first set, but it was one-way traffic from then on.
The second seed reeled off three straight games to take the first set before racing through the second in just over half an hour.
“At the beginning of the match, we played really long and tough rallies, really close games,” added Alcaraz.
The 21-year-old, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, is the favorite to lift the title this weekend after early exits for top seed Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz lost in his first match on his only previous appearance at the tournament in 2022.
Fils eased into his third successive Masters quarterfinal with a 6-2, 6-3 thrashing of 2023 champion Andrey Rublev.
The 20-year-old Fils is aiming to reach the semis of a Masters event for the first time, after losing in the last eight at both Indian Wells and the Miami Open this year.
“If it’s him, it’s going to be the first time I’m going to play him,” Fils said of meeting Alcaraz.
“It’s going to be a good experience. He’s a big champion. He won four Grand Slams already. I didn’t win a single one.”
Draper lost in three sets to Spaniard Davidovich Fokina.
Draper, who won the Indian Wells title last month, slipped to a 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-4 loss as he failed to reach a first Masters quarterfinal on clay.
Davidovich Fokina edged a hard-fought opening set which featured three breaks of serve.
Draper let three break points slip away in the ninth game, with Davidovich Fokina taking his second set point.
In the second set Draper saved a match point and then leveled the contest in a tiebreak.
In a topsy-turvy third set, though, both broke twice inside the first six games.
Davidovich Fokina delivered the decisive blow in the 10th game to secure his first win over a top-10 opponent on clay since 2023.
Davidovich Fokina will take on Australian Popyrin in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Popyrin, the world No. 27, beat Ruud 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, after saving two match points at 3-5 in the third set.
Musetti, seeded 13, beat Davis Cup team-mate Berrettini 6-3, 6-3 and then talked of “the difficulty of playing a friend, a mate, a teammate.”
“This is a special court for me and also for Matteo. We share a lot of moments here in Monte Carlo where we live,” Musetti said. “Definitely one of the toughest challenges for me.”
Musetti will face sixth-seeded Tsitsipas who beat Borges 6-1, 6-1.
World No. 10 De Minaur crushed former US Open winner Medvedev 6-2, 6-2.
“I’m finding my feet on clay,” said De Minaur. “It’s taken me a while in my career. I can be dangerous on this surface.”
The Australian will play Dimitrov, after the 15th-seeded Bulgarian overcame Chilean Tabilo 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
Djokovic upset by Tabilo in 2nd round, Alcaraz advances at Monte Carlo
- No. 13 Lorenzo Musetti beat Jiri Lehecka 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 to set up a last-16 match against fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini
- Daniil Medvedev overcame Alexandre Muller 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-2, and fourth-seeded Casper Ruud beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-1
MONACO: Novak Djokovic’s latest bid to win a 100th career title ended in another upset defeat to a familiar face.
Alejandro Tabilo, who handed the 24-time Grand Slam champion a surprising loss at the Italian Open last year, beat Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters.
Back on clay for the first time since winning the Olympic gold in Paris last August, Djokovic said he didn’t have high expectations going into the match.
“I knew I’m going to have a tough opponent and I knew I’m going to probably play pretty bad,” Djokovic said. “But this bad, I didn’t expect.”
Djokovic, who recently lost the Miami Open final to Jakub Mensik, turns 38 next month — shortly before the French Open starts on May 25.
French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz started his clay-court season by rallying for a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory over Francisco Cerundolo.
The second-seeded Alcaraz was coming off a surprising loss to Belgian veteran David Goffin in his first match at the Miami Open.
Another upset seemed possible when Cerundolo, ranked No. 22, took the first set but Alcaraz dominated the rest of the match and converted five of his seven break points across the second and third sets.
Alcaraz is seeking a second title of 2025 and to finetune his clay-court game ahead of a bid to retain his title at Roland Garros starting next month.
Tabilo clinched victory on his second match point when Djokovic hit a service return too long.
Djokovic had saved one match point in the ninth game when he was trailing 5-3 and 30-40 on his serve, producing a neat drop shot over the net which his Chilean opponent couldn’t reach.
Other results
No. 13 Lorenzo Musetti beat Jiri Lehecka 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 to set up a last-16 match against fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini, who beat top-seeded Alexander Zverev on Tuesday.
Daniil Medvedev overcame Alexandre Muller 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-2, and fourth-seeded Casper Ruud beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-1.
Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils, a pair of 38-year-old Frenchman, were eliminated by Daniel Altmaier and seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev, respectively.
The Monte Carlo Masters is the first big clay-court tournament of the year on the ATP Tour.
