Novak Djokovic was dealt a tough hand in round two of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters but he had no trouble emerging a winner. Djokovic kicked off his bid for a third title at this Masters 1000 event by beating Jannik Sinner 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday afternoon.
The world No. 1 recovered from an early break deficit in the first sent and eventually gave back a break lead of his own. Djokovic quickly regained control with another break of the Sinner serve at 5-4 to wrap up the opening frame of play in style. In the second, the 18-time Grand Slam champion added breaks in the fourth and eighth games while saving the only break point he faced.
“It feels great [to be back and] also playing in Monaco, where I reside,” Djokovic commented. “I have used this club as a training base for almost 15 years, so it feels like playing at home.
“It was a very good encounter. I thought it was a great first match [and] a big challenge for me. Jannik is in form. He played the final [in] Miami and has been playing well. I just hung in there today and managed to find the right shots and the right game at the right time.”
Monte-Carlo’s top seed is joined in the last 16 by seeds Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, Grigor Dimitrov, and Cristian Garin.
Nadal made quick 6-1, 6-2 work of Federico Delbonis in his Wednesday opener.
“It was (a) solid match,” the Spaniard assessed. “Of course, (it is) a very positive result. He’s a good player on clay…. Nothing unbelievable, but nothing wrong; just a solid match, a positive start. I think I did what I had to do today.”
Next up for Nadal is Dimitrov, who ousted Jeremy Chardy 7-6(3), 6-4. The third seed is dominating their head-to-head series 13-1.
“We’ve had some great matches,” Nadal reflected. “In Melbourne, of course…. We played another great match in Beijing; another one in Shanghai. He’s a good friend, a good guy, and a great player. It’s going to be a tough test in my second round. It’s going to be his third. I need to be ready for it; I hope to be ready for it. I am just excited to play a tough match very early in the tournament.”
routine
Djoker just plays defense too well and has more variety. Sinner needs to add a few more dimensions to his game before he can challenge Djoker when it counts. He is so limited strategically, and his weaknesses were too easily exposed by a master craftsperson. We’ll see if Sinner can develop more variety, more skills, over the the next few years. He’s only 19. He certainly has the firepower off the ground. I’m rooting for him.