Novak Djokovic’s son Stefan stole the spotlight at the Monte-Carlo Masters despite the Serb’s shocking first-round exit. Stefan, the older of Djokovic’s two children, was born in October 2014—the same year he and his high school sweetheart, Jelena, tied the knot.
On Wednesday, April 9, Djokovic competed in the ATP 1000 Masters event in Monaco, facing off against Alejandro Tabilo. In a surprising turn of events, he was thoroughly outplayed, suffering a 3-6, 4-6 defeat.
Following this recent setback at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Tabilo now leads their head-to-head record 2-0, having also beaten Djokovic in their previous meeting at the Italian Open last year.
Despite the Serb’s surprising exit from the tournament, Djokovic’s son Stefan was seen in the stands during the semifinal match on Saturday, April 12, between Carlos Alcaraz and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Carlos Alcaraz came out on top against Fokina in a hard-fought two-set battle, winning 7-6(2), 6-4, and secured a spot in the final match on Sunday.
Novak Djokovic scheduled to compete at Madrid Masters next as he recovers from eye infection
Novak Djokovic found himself in an unfortunate situation for quite some time during his Miami Open final match on March 10. He showed up with a visibly swollen right eye, which clearly impacted his performance.
The swelling took its toll, and despite a hard-fought effort, the inevitable happened—Djokovic was defeated by Jakub Mensik in straight sets.
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Before the start of the Monte-Carlo Masters, Djokovic shared an update on his eye infection. Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis, the 37-year-old Serbian opened up about the issue, saying:
“It started on semi-finals day in Miami and I did struggle with it in the final, but it’s calming down, I guess. I was going to be here with the family anyway. I wanted to give myself the best chance to play in the tournament.”
Djokovic continued:
“I have a few more days until the eventual first round. I am still trying to get used to the clay; still managing a few things health wise. Hopefully, I’ll be ready.”
Hopefully, the 24-time Grand Slam champion will be ready to compete at the ATP 1000 Masters Mutua Madrid Open. This season promises to be special, as Novak Djokovic—a three-time winner of the event (2011, 2016, 2019)—is set to return to the clay-court tournament for the first time since 2022.