Novak Djokovic found out his first opponent in Monte Carlo.
Russian tennis player Ivan Gahov (26 years old), will be an opponent Novak Djokovic on Tuesday, in the 2nd round of the Monte Carlo Masters. For the first time, the Serb will play against the currently 186th tennis player in the world, who, like other Russian athletes, is playing without a flag at this tournament. That match is scheduled for the third term on the central court, where the program starts at 11 a.m., so it is expected to play around 2 p.m.
Gahov won the duel against Novak by winning against the American Mackenzie McDoland in three sets (7:6, 2:6, 6:3). Except in the case of a complete sensation, Djokovic will then be met in the third round by the winner of the duel Miomir Kecmanović – Lorenzo Musetti, in which the Italian enters as the 16th seed.
Novak won Monte Carlo twice, a tournament where Rafael Nadal has been the most dominant for decades with 11 titles. However, the Spaniard will not perform this time due to recovery from injury, as well as his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic last won the trophy in the principality in 2015, with a victory against Tomas Berdych, and last season he stopped in the second round, losing to Spaniard Alejandro Davidovic-Fokina in three sets.
This spring, Novak wants to make a strong start to the season on clay, for which he has been preparing for a long time because he again skipped the American tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami because he could not enter the USA unvaccinated. He used that period for training and now it’s time for him to enjoy the field again, as well as his fans watching him. Read which one it is Djokovic’s path to the title in Monte Carlo.
The tournament in Monte Carlo is Djokovic’s first competition since Dubai, where he played in early March. It was the only tournament he has played since winning the Australian Open on January 29.