Novak Djokovic offers cold reply after being asked if he’s afraid of facing Italian players ahead of his Monte Carlo clash with Lorenzo Musetti
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic got off to a blazing start on clay with a smashing win at the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters. Playing as the top seed, he started his campaign in the second round and took on Roman Safiullin as he eyes his third title at the tournament.
Djokovic dispatched the Russian 6-1, 6-2 in just 70 minutes to register a win on his clay debut for the season. Nole was returning to action for the first time since his shocking third-round exit at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters. He was stunned by the lucky loser and then World No. 123 Luca Nardi.
It was hailed as one of the biggest upsets in tennis in recent times. It also led rise to the speculations of the Serb suffering against Italians given his two consecutive defeats to Jannik Sinner and then to Nardi.
As he stood on the verge of taking on another Italian, this time Lorenzo Musetti, in the third round, Djokovic was asked if he feared going up against Italian players. Nole was certainly taken aback but maintained his composure in giving an honest assessment.
I am not scared of anything and anybody. But I really hope that I can get the chance to play him again and get another match up here. He obviously is one of the most talented players on clay, a beautiful one-handed backhand and he is very athletic. He can do a lot of great things and he’s one of the promising young players, not only from Italy, but generally for the world. Said Djokovic.
The World No. 1 also showed respect to Arthur Fils who was set to take on Musetti in the second round. He found the Frenchman a formidable opponent for the Italian youngster. Djokovic also admitted to being more confident after his first win in Monte Carlo as compared to the same stage last year.
So, let’s see how that works. Arthur Fils is also a tough opponent to beat so he’s got to win that match but I like the way I played my first match compared to my first match last year. I feel much different and more ready, so whoever is across the net, I hope I can deliver my best game. Added the Serb.
Novak Djokovic gets his shot at ending the ‘Italian theory’ against him
While Djokovic showed his belief in Fils, it wasn’t enough for him to overpower Musetti. The Italian secured a 6-3, 7-5 win to set up a repeat of last year’s clash with Djokovic. The Serb was the favorite for the tie given his three-match winning streak against him.
Musetti however played one of his best games to upset the 24-time singles Grand Slam title winner. He won the tie in three sets to record his first-ever win against the Djoker. Going into this year’s tie, Djokovic still leads the head-to-head 3-1.
Given the floating speculations on him suffering against the Italian players, it is a golden chance for him to shut down the theory. Three losses don’t define Djokovic and he will be eager to prove his mettle for the umpteenth time when he takes on Musetti.