By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, April 26, 2025
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
Novak Djokovic sprayed one final forehand beyond the baseline ending a 6-3, 6-4 Madrid upset loss to Matteo Arnaldi today.
Minutes later, Djokovic said that misfire may well be his Mutua Madrid Open parting shot.
The 37-year-old Serbian superstar said his third straight loss may be his final Madrid match.
“It could be. It could be,” Djokovic told the media in Madrid today. “I’m not sure if I will come back. So, I don’t know, I don’t know what to say.
“I mean, I’ll come back, maybe not as a player, of course. I hope it’s not, but it could be.”
The on-court quandary Djokovic faces is one familiar to longevity champions including  Pancho Gonzalez, Ken Rosewall, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
Advancing age typically means players must reduce their schedule in order to stay healthy for Grand Slams. Yet without the consistent match play, they then can lose match sharpness, consistency and confidence.
Suddenly the rally ball at 30-all which was once so routine for Djokovic misses the mark a bit in Madrid’s altitude and a break point can escalate to crisis point.
Nineteen years after he defeated Richard Gasquet in his Madrid debut, Djokovic confronts a “new reality” his second three-match losing streak of the season.
Throughout his career, the Grand Slam king has been driven to capture championships.
These days, Djokovic concedes it’s a challenge to win matches.
“Kind of new reality for me, I have to say,” Djokovic said. “You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament.
“It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis, so it’s kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face these kind of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments. But, you know, that’s, I guess, the circle of life and the career (smiling), eventually it was going to happen.”
Last August, Djokovic played a vintage Djokovic match out dueling Carlos Alcaraz, 7-6, 7-6, to capture the Olympic gold medal for Serbia.
Continuing his quest for a 100th career championship and a record-extending 25th Grand Slam crown, Djokovic said he’s driven by major pursuits. The former world No. 1 also sees the big picture and knows with Alcaraz pulling out of Madrid with injury and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner set to come back for Rome, neither of his two leading rivals figure to be 100 percent for Paris either.
That gives Miami finalist Djokovic hope, but he knows winning is the only answer. Right now, that’s not happening.
“I’m trying to, you know, use this as a driving force for the future,” Djokovic said. “Obviously Grand Slams, I was saying many times, are the most important tournaments for me. Which doesn’t mean that I don’t want to win here, of course I wanted to, but, you know, Grand Slams is where I really want to play the best tennis.
“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that in Roland Garros, but I’ll do my best.”
Roland Garros starts on May 25th. The question is: Can Djokovic find his game and confidence in the next month? And if he does go deep in Paris, will the physical pounding on his body degrade his chances for Wimbledon, the Slam many champions believe is his best shot for a 25th major?
Those question are all part of his “new reality.”
Based on his current three-match slide, Djokovic said he’s not a French Open favorite and hopes that will alleviate some pressure he feels trying to win his first title since Paris.
“Well, I mean, look, pressure is part of the sport and part of what we do on this highest level, so it’s never going to go away, you know, it’s just different kind of pressure,” Djokovic said. “But every time I step on the court I feel the nerves, I feel stress, I feel everything that I guess all the other players feel, and excitement as well.
“So, still like to compete, it became a bit more challenging for me, to be honest. But of course, as I said, I’ll do my best for the future. Grand Slam, I’m not going into Roland Garros as one of the main favorites. Maybe that can help, I don’t know, we’ll see.”
