Novak Djokovic was bitterly disappointed following his Monte Carlo Masters defeat.
The Serbian entered the tournament bidding for his first title of the season, and he was feeling confident following a run to the Miami Open final.
But the 38-year-old just could find his best form as he struggled in the cloudy and cooler conditions of Monaco compared to the heat and humidity in Miami.
Djokovic was up against Alejandro Tabilo, who announced himself with a victory over him last season. And he repeated the feat on Wednesday.
Novak Djokovic issues apology after Monte Carlo Masters defeat to Alejando Tabilo
Novak Djokovic reached the semi-finals in Monte Carlo a year ago, but he could not replicate that feat in 2025.
The former World number one faced Tabilo, a player who recorded a straight sets win against him at the 2024 Italian Open.
But Djokovic once again struggled against Tabilo, as he produced 14 unforced errors in the first set before losing 3-6, 4-6. Post-match Djokovic was so upset with his performance he issued an apology to those who watched him play.
“I was hoping it was not going to happen but there was quite a high probability I was going to play this way,” Djokovic said during his press conference.
“Just a horrible, horrible feeling to play this way and just sorry for all the people that had to witness this. I expected myself to at least put in a decent performance, not like this.
“This is horrible…I did not have high expectations really. I knew I was going to have a tough opponent. I know I was probably going to play pretty bad but this bad, I did not expect.”
Alejandro Tabilo maintains unbeaten record against Novak Djokovic
At the 2024 Italian Open, Tabilo had yet to announce himself on the world stage, until defeated Djokovic.
He went on to reach the semi-final but in 2025, the player had been struggling for form and entered the Monte Carlo match with just two wins from his last nine matches.
But Tabilo now has back-to-back wins against the Olympic champion and he is now just the third player to not have lost against Djokovic after facing him on multiple occasions at ATP level.
“I guess it’s just tennis. I know that most of the matches I’ve played, I’ve lost pretty close and could have gone either way. A lot of 7-6 in the third or three-setters,” Tabilo told Tennis Channel.
“I knew my tennis was there. It’s been a little tough mentally in the personal side, but just tried to stay focused and just tried to play a new match and I knew if I could play solid I could stay there.”
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