Djokovic goes down to Vesely, Nadal cruises in Monte-Carlo

There will be a new champion in Monte-Carlo. And it could be an eight-time champion after his nemesis lost in shocking fashion on Wednesday.

Rafael Nadal, who triumphed at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters from 2005 through 2012 but has not lifted the trophy since, is arguably the title favorite now that Novak Djokovic is out. The world No. 1 fell to Jiri Vesely 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in two hours and six minutes during second-round action.

Vesely came out firing, sending a message to Djokovic that this was not going to be comprehensive one-way traffic. The 55th-ranked Czech surrendered a mere two service points in the entire first set, so one break at 4-4 was more than enough for him to seize a surprising early advantage.

After Djokovic rolled through the second, Vesely got back on track. He failed to consolidate an immediate break but broke again for 2-1 and this time did well while playing from ahead. Djokovic did not go away with a whimper, fighting off a match point with a brilliant rally while serving at 3-5. He won the first point of his ensuing return game, but Vesely reeled off four consecutive points to hold with little trouble and clinch victory.

“I have to congratulate my opponent,” Djokovic said. “I think he played very solid. He was serving very big. He was playing tactically good and aggressive. On the other hand, for me there were just very few things I could take out from today’s match as a positive. I was playing really, really bad.

“But, you know, nothing taking away from my opponent’s performance. He deserved to win. When he was break up in the third set, he was playing bravely. He was coming in; drop-shots, big serves…. He was going for it. He deserved to have it.”

What Vesely has is his first-ever win over a top-10 opponent, as he had previously been 0-8 in such situations. For Djokovic, this is his worst loss since 2010, when he suffered a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 setback against world No. 74 Xavier Malisse at Queen’s Club.

Nadal has endured more than a few bad losses in recent years, but he was not about to take another one in his 2016 Monte-Carlo debut. The fifth-ranked Spaniard cruised into the third round by defeating Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 19 minutes.

“(It) is obvious that I have been practicing little bit better than what I played today,” Nadal commented. “But at the same time is true that I have been playing good for moments, some mistakes in other moments. But it’s fine, no? It’s the first match. It’s important to be through.

“(I’m) happy for the victory. I know that I have to improve for tomorrow. But I have confidence because I have been practicing very well these (last few) weeks.”

Bedene took note of his opponent’s struggles on the forehand side, but he also had some praise for Nadal when asked about the Spaniard’s chances for another French Open title. “I think he can do the 10th one, yeah.”

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