By Chris Oddo | Thursday April 14, 2016
Novak Djokovic bowed out to Jiri Vesely in his first clay-court match of 2016 on Wednesday in Monte-Carlo, and while the Serb was not pleased with his performance, he was in no mind to head back to the courts to shore up his game.
No practice for Djokovic, thank you. He’ll take some rest instead.
“I didn't feel that freshness, you know, the entire time,” Djokovic said of his first loss to a player outside the Top-50 in nearly six years. “Eventually this was going to happen. Everything happens for a reason. I'm going to get some more time off now, which I look forward to. I'm going to need some rest, physical and mental, as well.”
Djokovic, who lives a few miles from the grounds of the Monte-Carlo Country Club, says he’s eager to switch off his intensity and seek comfort in a long-overdue replenishment of his spirit.
“As I said, I think the time off will serve me well –mentally mostly,” he said. “It's been a tough four or five months. I need time to kind of recharge.”
Confidence can be a fickle mistress in tennis, but Djokovic is self-assured enough to know that this loss changes nothing about his current status as tennis’s top dog. Though he had several impressive streaks snapped on Wednesday, we've all seen Djokovic build streaks anew over the years--it's one of tennis's most recurring themes these days.
“This match today will not disturb my preparation for the rest of the season and what's coming up,” he said. “I'm still confident. I'm still feeling I'm playing the best tennis of my life. I'll just rest, because sometimes that's what is needed, then get back on the practice courts, adjust to this surface that is completely different from any other, and hopefully I'll be better in the next tournament.”
And so as the dust settles and the quarterfinals are about to begin at Monte-Carlo without Djokovic for the first time since 2011, it’s safe to assume that Djokovic’s wife and child will spend more time with the World No. than his tennis racquet, at least for a few days. The Serb has already moved on from this loss, and the goal of winning Roland Garros for the first time later this spring has not changed.
“I have to congratulate the better player today on the court and just move on from there,” Djokovic said. “That's it. It's already behind me.”