Alejandro Tabilo was one of just two players who beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets in 2024.
Tabilo broke through on the ATP Tour in 2024, winning two tour-level titles, in Auckland and at the Mallorca Open.
Tabilo’s performances saw him rise to a career-high of 19th in the world before falling to 22nd at the end of the year, where he currently resides as Chilean number one.
Impressive form that saw the 27-year-old selected as a member of Team World for the Laver Cup in Berlin.
The Chilean won one and lost one at the event as Team Captain John McEnroe said that he was surprised by Tabilo.
Tabilo’s best performance came at the Italian Open, however, where he shocked the most successful player in the history of the sport.
Alejandro Tabilo says that ATP players respect Novak Djokovic ‘too much’ when they play him
Speaking following the conclusion of his 2024 season, Tabilo looked back upon the biggest week of his career at the Italian Open.
“That was a crazy week, honestly I never look at the draws, I take it one match at a time, just to focus on the match,” he said.
“We know Novak [Djokovic’s] representative Charlie Gomez really well, we were saying hi the day before, and he was like you’ve got to win this match so we can see each other on Sunday.
“I was like no way, if I win I play Novak.
“Honestly, thank god he said that because it gave me so much motivation to be in that match, I wanted to win so bad just to play Novak.”
Tabilo won his second-round match against Yannick Hanfmann in straight sets, securing his dream matchup against the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
The Chilean took everything in his stride, and said that he didn’t feel too many nerves ahead of the big match.
“I wasn’t even really nervous before the match,” he said.
“I was more just anxious, I just wanted to play.
“That walk into the match, I was just looking around the stadium just trying to soak it all in.
“I couldn’t believe I was in that position, playing on center court with Novak in Rome where all the stadiums are so big and have so much history, it was such a nice feeling.”
Tabilo dismantled the Serb in straight sets, and he has now explained how he thinks he was able to do so.
“Looking at the match before, because I’ve watched Novak play so much, obviously in a way, you’re just believing that you can beat him,” he said.
“I was just trying to do that, most of his game could suit me well, because of how well I hit my backhand cross-court which can go down to his forehand.
“My forehand, I like that forehand down the line, just looking at the tactics, obviously with the illusion that you can win, it seemed like a good match.
“My coach was just saying, really go in believing that you can do it because most people respect him too much that they play a few good games and then they kind of go away because they’re happy with what they did.
“Don’t be surprised if you find yourself 3-0 up or 4-0 up because you can do this.”
The 27-year-old took onboard the advice as he secured the biggest win of his career, beating Djokovic 6-2, 6-3.
“I just went in thinking about that, nothing to lose, swinging, out of nowhere I was 4-0 up, I just tried to stay focused, played every point like it was the first of the match and just kept swinging and see what happens,” he said.
Why did Novak Djokovic lose to so many lower-ranked opponents in 2024?
Djokovic’s defeat to Tabilo was one of nine in a season where the Serb failed to pick up a tour-level title.
But for fans of the 37-year-old, there looks to be a concerning pattern in his losses this year.
| Rank of opponent | Opponent | Score | Tournament |
| 123 | Luca Nardi | 4-6, 6-3, 3-6 | Indian Wells – 3R |
| 44 | Tomas Machac | 4-6, 6-0, 1-6 | Geneva Open – SF |
| 32 | Alejandro Tabilo | 2-6, 3-6 | Italian Open – 3R |
| 28 | Alexei Popyrin | 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6 | US Open – 3R |
| 12 | Alex de Minaur | 4-6, 4-6 | United Cup – QF |
| 10 | Casper Ruud | 4-6, 6-1, 4-6 | Monte-Carlo Masters – SF |
| 4 | Jannik Sinner | 1-6, 2-6, 7-6, 3-6 | Australian Open – SF |
| 3 | Carlos Alcaraz | 2-6, 2-6, 6-7 | Wimbledon – F |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | 6-7, 3-6 | Shanghai Masters – F |
Only three of his defeats came against top-five opposition, losing to Jannik Sinner twice, and Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.
Matches that Djokovic would breeze through in years gone by seemed to become an issue in 2024, losing to five different players ranked outside the world’s top ten.
Djokovic’s loss to Luca Nardi at Indian Wells was the worst of all, with the young Italian ranked outside the top 100.
Perhaps Djokovic’s reduced schedule has led to these surprise defeats, with a lack of match sharpness costing him in the early rounds of tournaments.
The Serb will want to put those defeats behind him as he looks ahead to his 2025 season where he has his sights set on a record-extending 11th Australian Open title.
The 2025 Australian Open begins on January 12 in Melbourne.
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