Novak Djokovic has been in continuous decline recently: Was it a mistake due to changing strategy?

After his surprise decision to participate in the Monte Carlo Masters and a poor performance that led to a defeat in the opening match, there are suggestions that Novak Djokovic may be “having problems”…

Former Top 10 player Arnaud Clement expressed concern after Djokovic’s lackluster performance, losing to Chilean world number 32 Alejandro Tabilo in his only match at this year’s Monte Carlo Masters.

Djokovic is in a hurry?

Djokovic described his straight-sets defeat to Tabilo as “horrible”, and Clement questioned why the Serb agreed to play the first ATP 1000 Masters event of the season just days after his exhausting journey to the Miami Open final.

“The shock, in the end, was not just the result but also the way he played and his attitude,” Clement told Eurosport France. “We didn’t really feel him happy on the court, we didn’t see him complete. Did he want to play? We don’t know. Did he have a problem? We don’t know. But there was definitely something wrong with Novak Djokovic.”

Clement believes that it’s not just that Djokovic’s game is off. Usually, when things aren’t going well, Nole finds a solution and the energy to overcome it. But not this time. These comments are speculative, but not without basis. In fact, when we evaluate Djokovic’s decisions in 2025, we can see some things that are not logical.

Last year, he was criticized for his part-time schedule on the ATP Tour. Many seasoned pundits believed that Djokovic would have a hard time adding Grand Slam titles if he only played a few tournaments a year. In response, Djokovic made it clear that spending time with his wife and two children was more important than playing ATP events that he no longer felt motivated to play.

Last year, Djokovic prioritized family over tennis, but now it’s the other way around

A year ago, time away from home seemed like a non-negotiable for Djokovic to continue his career. This year, however, he has played more tournaments and spent more time away from his wife Jelena and two children. His appearance at the Qatar Open in February, just weeks after withdrawing from the Australian Open due to injury, was a major surprise. He then spent nearly a month in the United States, playing in the Indian Wells Masters and returning to the Miami Open for the first time since 2019.

Haunted by records

Taking a break after such a long time away from home is understandable, but Djokovic seems ready to devote more time to tennis in 2025, as he demonstrated when he immediately returned to the court in Monte Carlo. With limited time to prepare on clay, his defeat was not a surprise, but he admitted the severity of his performance was worrying.

“It was really the worst day. I was hoping it wouldn’t happen, but there was a high chance I would play like this,” a dejected Djokovic said. “I don’t know, it’s just horrible. It feels terrible to play like this and I apologize to everyone who had to see it.”

“I expected to at least perform at an acceptable level. Not like this, I mean, it’s terrible. I didn’t have high expectations, really. I knew I was going to play against a tough opponent and I was probably going to play badly. But this badly… I didn’t expect it.”

Djokovic will now presumably have a chance to spend some quality time with his children before returning to the court. The next big test of his new approach will come later this month in Madrid.

It is usually a clay-court Masters 1000 event that Djokovic has skipped in recent years, and he has only been to Madrid once since 2019. If he shows up at the high altitude tournament, in conditions he admits are not always suitable for, it will show that he is putting tennis first, aiming for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title before the end of his career. And joining the 100-title club seems to be on Nole’s mind.