After a successful last season, Novak Djokovic has been hit with major roadblocks in 2024. Things haven’t gone his way as the Serb is yet to win a title this year. Additionally, controversies have been a part and parcel of his poor 2024 season, with his separation from long-time coach, Goran Ivanisevic being one of them. Recently, he was hit with yet another unfortunate situation.

Djokovic is currently playing at the Monte Carlo Masters and had a convincing victory over Lorenzo Musetti in the pre-quarterfinals. In the middle of the match, Djokovic appeared to be visibly shaking during the changeover. It is a worrying sign for him as it could potentially derail his campaign further.

Over the past few days, the climatic conditions in Monaco have been very fluctuating. Additionally, there have been many rain delays and humidity levels have soared, affecting the players’ fitness levels. This might be a potential reason behind Djokovic looking in discomfort during his match against Musetti.

Nonetheless, he managed to stay in the game and churn out a straight-set victory 7-5, 6-3 over his Italian opponent. Although the scoreboard suggested it to be a straight-forward win, Djokovic had to fight out against Musetti, who put on a brave show.

At 36, age seems to have finally caught Djokovic. While his recent condition proved so, another embarrassing stat denoted that time is running out for him in his tennis career.

Unideal start for Novak Djokovic

The current season hasn’t gone according to the plans of Djokovic. He is yet to win a title this year, with his best result being the semi-final finish at the Australian Open. Moreover, he has participated in only the Indian Wells Masters, apart from the Australian Open and the Monte Carlo Masters so far this year. Thus, an unfortunate stat cropped up due to his poor start to the season.

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Given the recent results, it has been the worst start to the year in his career. Since 2011, Djokovic has managed to win either the Australian Open or the Indian Wells Masters every year. The only exceptions were the 2017 season where he suffered an injury, and the 2022 season where he did not play in either of the two events.

The Serb is still empty-handed this year and will hope for his fortunes to change at the Monte Carlo Masters. However, first, he’ll have to ensure that he stays in good physical shape for the upcoming rounds.