(Monte-Carlo) Novak Djokovic, big favorite in the absence of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, was eliminated Thursday in the round of 16 of the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 by the Italian Lorenzo Musetti (21st) 4-6 , 7-5, 6-4.
Holder of the record of 38 titles in Masters 1000, Djokovic won only twice on Monegasque soil in 2013 and 2015 and, since then, has not exceeded the quarters. Musetti will face his compatriot Jannik Sinner (8th) for a place in the last four.
“At the last game, I was shaking, I was afraid to win. But that’s normal because I had never beaten a world No.1,” Musetti reveled.
Wearing a sleeve on his right arm, Djokovic appeared nervous from the start of the match and committed many unforced errors throughout the match (46 in total against 32 for his opponent).
The game was interrupted for an hour by the rain at 6-4, 5-7, 1-1 and 40/30 on the Serbian’s service.
Back on the court, the world No.1 had a big band-aid stuck behind his left thigh, but won his service game on a service winner.
Logically, it was Musetti who made the decisive break in the last set to break away 4-3 then 5-3. He then served for the match at 5-4.
From an ace, he offered himself two consecutive match points, but could not convert any. On the third, he made a big unforced error, but concluded on the fourth.
