Novak Djokovic is back to taking his career one match at a time

The history is clear: If you’re a player outside the Top 10, and you want to be able to tell your grandkids that you beat Novak Djokovic, your best shot of doing it will come at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters. Just ask Dan Evans, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and Lorenzo Musetti:  Over the last three years, all of them faced the world No. 1 early in Monaco, and all of them came away with once-in-a-lifetime wins that left them shedding tears of joy.

Does it seem odd that Djokovic is more vulnerable here than anywhere else? Monte Carlo is his adopted hometown, and he knows its clay courts extremely well. He has won the title twice, and reached the final two other times. I can still remember the look of happy astonishment on his face after he beat Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the 2013 final, snapping Rafa’s run of eight straight titles there.

As the years have gone on, though, Djokovic has focused more narrowly on winning Grand Slams, which means that his clay season has been focused more narrowly on winning Roland Garros. By this late date in his career, he has a pretty good idea of how much preparation he needs on dirt. In 2023, it wasn’t a lot. Djokovic lost early in Monte Carlo, lost early again at an event in Serbia, skipped the Masters 1000 in Madrid, and lost in the quarterfinals in Rome. Then, without much momentum or a whole lot of matches, he won Roland Garros anyway.

It would hardly be a surprise if he thinks it’s a little early to start worrying about Paris in mid-April.

That said, Djokovic’s 2024 hasn’t followed his usual script so far. For the first time since 2018, he starts his clay season without an Australian Open title, or a title of any sort. He also starts it without his coach of the last five seasons, Goran Ivansevic. This week Djokovic officially became the oldest No. 1 singles player in ATP history, an honor that sounds as ominous as it does congratulatory. Next month he’ll turn 37, which also sounds a little ominous. Djokovic has officially entered his late 30s, an age range that spelled doom for both of his great rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Put all of that together and you might have thought Djokovic’s second-round opponent on Tuesday, Roman Safiullin, was in for the win of his life. But that’s not how it worked out. While Djokovic was subdued, he was also sharp. Despite having not played on clay since last June, he jumped out to a 4-0 lead, had his down-the-line forehand and backhand drop shot clicking, and never lost control of the rallies or hit an inconsistent patch.

“My feeling was great,” Djokovic said after his 6-1, 6-2 win.

“I like really the way I felt today on the court, the way I was striking the ball. I think the two, three weeks of training I had is paying off…We put in a lot of hours into thinking about the game, the movement, and things that haven’t really worked for me in the first couple of tournaments of this year.”

Djokovic doesn’t have Ivanisevic, but he does have an old friend, Nenad Zimonjic, in his place for the moment. Zimonjic, 47, is a fellow Serb and Davis Cup teammate, as well as a former No. 1 in the world in doubles. He may not have the pedigree of Ivanisevic, but he does his own gravitas.

Djokovic described his parting with Ivanisevic as “very simple.”

“We both just felt that we gave each other in this relationship the maximum and it was time to move on,” he said.

“I’ve had a friendship with Nenad for many years; I’ve known him since I was a kid,” Djokovic said of his partnership with Zimonjic, which isn’t permanent. “He’s always helped me out as a mentor.”

“We’ll see how it goes. These several weeks we’ve been together have been really enjoyable for me on the court. We don’t have any commitment yet, so let’s see how it all progresses.”

Tennis fans aren’t used to seeing Djokovic in flux. The last time he struggled for any length of time was from mid-2016 to mid-2018, when he had an elbow injury, and he let go of his entire coaching team and hired Andre Agassi for an ill-fated few months. This time he’s healthier, the rest of his entourage is still in place, and Zimonjic would seem to be a more comfortable fit than Agassi. The downside, of course, is that he’s seven years older than he was in 2017.

I think the two, three weeks of training I had is paying off…We put in a lot of hours into thinking about the game, the movement, and things that haven’t really worked for me in the first couple of tournaments of this year.

While the 2024 version of Djokovic isn’t as dominant as he has been, he may be more interesting. Instead of non-stop talk of his greatness, there are questions to be asked about his future. Instead of going into a Slam as the favorite, the way he usually does, right now he’s probably in third place behind Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, as the tour starts toward Roland Garros. Instead of marveling at his ability to out-run time, we’re wondering if he can right the ship again, and put the young guys in their place one more time.

As Djokovic knows, there’s a long way to go, and not every opponent is created equal. His next one will be Musetti, who beat him here last year, and who looked to be in good form for most of his straight-set win over Arthur Fils on Tuesday.

“It’s one match,” Djokovic said of his win over Safiullin. “I’m going to hope for tomorrow to maintain that rhythm and focus, obviously try to perform as well in the second match as I did today.”

One match at a time: Even after all these years and all of his wins, Djokovic knows that’s the only way to get where he wants to go.