Fans are worried about Novak Djokovic after his untimely defeat at Indian Wells, which came in the worst possible way.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Serbian legend had high expectations for the first Masters 1000 of the season and it was thought that Andy Murray's return to his box could give him further help.
If the loss against Matteo Berrettini at the Doha ATP 500 had been justified by Nole's lack of preparation after the injury at the Australian Open, his KO against Botic van de Zandschulp in California has generated numerous doubts about Djokovic's current status.
The former world No.1 had practiced well in the days leading up to his match against the Dutch ace and seemed ready to play a big tournament, with the aim of winning for the sixth time in his career and finally lifting his 100th trophy.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion played one of the worst matches of his career last Saturday, making almost 40 unforced errors against an opponent he would have beaten very easily on this surface until a couple of years ago.
ADVERTISEMENT
It is clear that Novak's future will depend a lot on the results he achieves in the next two Major tournaments: Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
If the current world No.7 realizes that he is no longer competitive enough to win another Grand Slam tournament, then he could consider retiring.
Escudon Djokovic's crisis
The Serbian is almost 38 years old and is aware that his career is coming to an end.
Speaking on Eurosport, former French player Nicolas Escud discussed Djokovic's crisis: "He's definitely going through a negative moment. It's not easy to accept certain defeats when you're a player used to winning almost every tournament, losing a few sets every now and then.
At the beginning of the year you asked me if Nole can still win a Grand Slam title and after two months my answer is that it's too hard for him.
ADVERTISEMENT
Players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are way ahead of him right now and it also seems to me that Novak's body is no longer the same."
