Novak Djokovic discloses what his practise was like before his early defeat to Matteo Arnaldi in Madrid

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Novak Djokovic is still without a win on clay this year after losing to Matteo Arnaldi at the Madrid Open.

Djokovic had not played at the Madrid Open since 2022, with the former three-time champion hoping to get some more matchplay in on clay in the Spanish capital.

This came after Djokovic lost his only match in Monte Carlo, but he has now suffered the same fate in Madrid.

After losing to Arnaldi, Djokovic revealed whether he would return to Madrid again in his career and he has also spoken about how this defeat was different for him.

Novak Djokovic discloses what his practise at the Madrid Open was like

Djokovic was joined by coach Andy Murray again at the Madrid Open, as they continue their work together.

When speaking in his post-match press conference after his defeat to Arnaldi, Djokovic admitted that he had actually been practising well, but this did not translate to the matchcourt.

However, the Serbian did have some positive feeling about the match, explaining how it was different to his defeat at the Monte Carlo Masters.

“Well, obviously after you lose a match you don’t feel good, but I’ve had a few of these this year where I lose in the first round, unfortunately,” said Djokovic. “Yeah, I knew that it’s going to be a really tough opening match for me in this tournament. Arnaldi is a really good player, quality player.

“I didn’t have too many matches on clay. I did practise well, but it’s completely different when you step out on the matchcourt. I think the positive thing is that I really enjoyed myself more than I have, you know, in the Monte-Carlo or some other tournament, so that’s a good thing.

“But obviously still level of tennis is not where I would like it to be. But, you know, it is what it is. I lost to a better player.”

Novak Djokovic admits he had low expectations for the Madrid Open

It has been a mixed season so far for Djokovic, who reached the Miami Open final, but has also now suffered four opening match losses in his last five tournaments.

With his relatively disappointing form in mind, Djokovic was questioned about what his expectations were for the Madrid Open.

Djokovic suggested that while he was hoping to win more than one match in the Spanish capital, he did not expect to go much further than that.

“Not big at all, to be honest,” said Djokovic. “I was hoping I can play one more match than I played in Monte-Carlo. Kind of new reality for me, I have to say. You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament.

“It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis, so it’s kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face these kind of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments.

“But, you know, that’s, I guess, the circle of life and the career (smiling), eventually it was going to happen. Now I’m trying to, you know, use this as a driving force for the future.

“Obviously Grand Slams, I was saying many times, are the most important tournaments for me. Which doesn’t mean that I don’t want to win here, of course I wanted to, but, you know, Grand Slams is where I really want to play the best tennis. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that in Roland Garros, but I’ll do my best.”

Djokovic is now expected to head to the Italian Open, where he is a six-time former champion.

Despite his previous success in Rome, Djokovic lost in the third round last year and does not appear to have much confidence in his ability to make a run right now.