By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Novak Djokovic fought off break-point mayhem and a feisty Kohlschreiber, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, to score his 850th career win in his Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters opener.
Photo credit: Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Facebook
The Monte-Carlo Country Club is a short bike ride from Novak Djokovic’s home.
Today, the top seed was back in the saddle at his neighborhood tournament only to face the rocky homecoming you might receive if mayhem was your house guest.
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A frustrated Djokovic shattered his Head racquet, sent the stick flying into the crowd later in the match, seemed to be bleeding from a blister on his hand and absorbed a stinging thigh shot from Philipp Kohlschreiber during a net exchange.
Ultimately, Djokovic showed strong survival skills fending off a feisty Kohlschreiber, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, to earn his 850th career win the hard way in his Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters opener.
"It was not the prettiest of matches," Djokovic said. "He played well, but a win is a win. This was a tough first match of the clay season."
The 31-year-old Serbian joins Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, Guillermo Vilas, Rafael Nadal, John McEnroe and ex-coach Andre Agassi as the eighth man in Open Era history to reach the 850-win mark.
The world No. 1 avenged a 6-4, 6-4, loss to Kohlschreiber in Indian Wells last month beating his German nemesis for the ninth time in 11 meetings.
On a chilly day, seeds scattered.
Argentine left-hander Guido Pella toppled seventh-seeded Marin Cilic, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
Sao Paulo champion Pella improved to 13-3 on clay this season handing the 11th-ranked Croatian his first opening-round exit in the Principality since Nicolas Kiefer beat Cilic in his 2008 Monte-Carlo debut.
Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego surprised eighth-seeded Karen Khachanov, 7-6 (4), 6-4, denying seven of eight break points in a one hour, 52-minute victory.
Playing his first clay-court match since falling to Marco Cecchinato in the Roland Garros quarterfinals last June, Djokovic looked unsettled at times, dumped eight double faults, sprayed his trademark two-handed back and fought off 12 of 16 break points in a scratchy match of squandered opportunity for both.
On a day in which his grit carried him when his game sometimes failed him, Djokovic improved to 14-3 on the season.
The two-time Monte-Carlo champion will play either Diego Schwartzman, who won 12 of the final 13 games defeating Kyle Edmund yesterday, or American Taylor Fritz next.
The 21-year-old Fritz snapped a five-match losing streak as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired in pain from an apparently hip or back issue with the American leading 6-4, 2-0.
Smacking his Head racquet against the soles of his shoes, Djokovic dislodged clumps of clay clotting the treads.
Shaking the rust free from his game proved more problematic. Typically, Djokovic patiently builds points but in the early stages today he was salvaging them dodging four break points in the first set.
Kohlschreiber earned two break points in both the fifth and seventh games and would have broken at least once had he been able to control his unruly forehand.
When Djokovic tried a surprise serve-and-volley on a second serve, Kohlschreiber lined up a routine forehand pass but pelted it long on his second break point, shaking his head at that miscue.
Two games later, Kohlschreiber had another good look at a forehand down the line on break point and sprayed it. Djokovic withstood the stress test knocking off a backhand volley for 4-3.
That stray forehand cost the German No. 2 as Kohlschreiber slapped a forehand into net handing Djokovic the first break and a 5-3 lead.
Whipping a forehand drive volley, Djokovic sealed the 45-minute opening set.
Seven straight breaks marked a wild second set that saw both plays take turns with eye-popping shotmaking and mind-numbing errors.
The top seed was serving at 2-3 when things got physical—and destructive.
Djokovic ran down a drop shot and had a clear look at a pass but his forehand clipped the tape and sat up. Kohlschreiber drilled Djokovic in the right thigh when both were nose-to-nose at net, immediately offering a raised hand of apology.
Pain stung even more when Djokovic badly bungled a backhand volley he tomahawked his Head racquet to court three times in succession dropping serve and decimating his stick.
The 35-year-old German served for the second set at 5-3, but double-faulted on set point as Djokovic broke back. Kohlschreiber came right back with the eighth break in the last 11 games to force a final set.
Winning requires short-term memory loss and Djokovic showed it shrugging off that stumbling end to the second set by charging out to a love break to open the third.
Every time, Djokovic seemed to get on track either his own errors or Kohlschreiber’s aggression derailed him again.
This time, the world No. 1 staved off three break points to back up the break for a 2-0 third-set lead.
A year ago, Djokovic arrived in Monte-Carlo ranked No. 13. Today, he fought off a break point holding for 5-3.
The world No. 40 went down battling. Kohlschreiber saved four match points before Djokovic closed a tough two hour, 37-minute victory on his fifth match point.
Djokovic, who fell to Dominic Thiem in the 2018 Monte-Carlo round of 16, still has a lot of work to day transitioning to clay, but should be satisfied subduing a dangerous opponent to reach a milestone.