Novak Djokovic continued his impressive start at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters with a second successive straight sets win after outlasting in-form Croat Borna Coric 7-6 7-5. Djokovic, who is a two-time champion at the Monte Carlo Country Club, and lives just a few miles from the Principality of Monaco, recorded another stellar performance to beat a player who was mighty impressive during the American hardcourt season. This was highlighted by Coric’s ability to hang on during the end of the second set where Djokovic needed a staggering ten match points to seal victory.
The Serb, who opened his campaign on the red dirt with a comprehensive win over fellow countryman Dusan Lajovic for the loss of just one game, was in no mood to back down. Djokovic broke Coric’s serve in the opening set and consolidated to take a 4-1 lead. Things were looking rosy before Coric restored parity to send the opening set into a tirbreaker. But it was the 30-year-old former World No. 1 who took control of the breaker and won it 7-2.
The Serb saved six of nine break point chances during the entire match and at times he looked to be back to his mesmerizing best. While Djokovic may not put high expectations this week, bearing in mind this is only his second win since the Australian open in January, he has reiterated that he is playing pain-free again.
Djokovic is now Under the watching eyes of Marian Vajda–whom Djokovic took action to rehire as part of his backroom team last week. It is too early to evaluate about the potential impact of this hire, but it was under the Slovak head coach that the Serb enjoyed his best years on tour. The former World No. 1 is set to meet Austria’s Dominic Thiem in the third round in what should be another stern examination of Djokovic’s confidence. Thiem himself has been struggling to replicate his exploits during the first half of 2017 season, and he had to save a match point during his encounter against NextGen star Andrey Rublev in the previous round. The Austrian’s sizzling power game will be a measure of Djokovic’s confidence and abilities as he steps up his bid to play his best tennis.
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