Djokovic Stunned in Monte Carlo, Alcaraz Earns First Win

Novak Djokovic said he felt “horrible” after crashing out of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday with a 6-3, 6-4 second-round loss to Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo.

Djokovic, 37, entered the tournament still recovering from an eye infection that first troubled him during the Miami Open semifinals in late March.

He admitted before the match that he did not have “very high” expectations for his clay-court season debut in Monaco.

A sluggish performance allowed Tabilo to cruise to a straight-sets victory and improve to 2-0 against the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

“It was actually more like the worst day in the office,” Djokovic said. “Just horrible. Horrible feeling to play this way, and just sorry for all the people that have to witness this.”

Djokovic has not won an ATP title since claiming gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and remains one title shy of 100 career championships.

Despite the early exit, he said his main goal remains the French Open, and he plans to compete in Madrid later this month for the first time since 2022.

“I expected myself at least to put in a decent performance. Not like this. It was horrible,” said Djokovic, who has not advanced past the Monte Carlo semifinals since winning his second title there in 2015.

“I knew I was going to have a tough opponent and probably play pretty bad. But this bad, I didn’t expect.”

Tabilo, ranked No. 32 in the world, moves on to face either Grigor Dimitrov or Valentin Vacherot in the round of 16.

Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, secured his first win at the Monte Carlo Masters, rallying from a set down to defeat Francisco Cerundolo 3-6, 6-0, 6-1.

The 21-year-old Spaniard rebounded from a mixed U.S. hard-court swing that included a semifinal in Indian Wells and a shock early loss to David Goffin in Miami.

Alcaraz, ranked No. 3 in the world, had never won a match in Monte Carlo before, falling in the 2022 opening round to Sebastian Korda.

Cerundolo, known for his consistency on clay, broke Alcaraz’s serve four times in the opening set and controlled several extended rallies.

Alcaraz responded by dominating the next two sets, dropping only one game and wrapping up the win in one hour and 38 minutes.

“I didn’t start well,” Alcaraz said. “I made a lot of mistakes and I let him play inside the court, dominating the points.”

“I just knew that I had to do something else—play more aggressively, drop shots, go to the net, and show more aggression.”

“The most important change was the return. I tried to return closer to the line and push him.”

Alcaraz advances to face Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, ranked No. 84, who defeated Richard Gasquet 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.

Gasquet, 38, playing his final Monte Carlo tournament, received a warm sendoff from the crowd after making his debut at the event as a 15-year-old wild card in 2002.

“I started with [Andre] Agassi and I’ll finish with Alcaraz,” said Gasquet, who plans to retire after the French Open.

“It’s a gap of almost 40 years. It’s enormous.”