Novak Djokovic called his 6-3 6-2 win over Gael Monfils his ‘best performance of the year’ as he moved into the last 16 in Madrid.
Djokovic defeated the Frenchman for the 18th consecutive time after a comfortable straight sets victory.
The match started outdoors but then resumed under a roof as Djokovic broke on three occasions with Monfils wasting all five of his break points.
Not only does the win mean that Djokovic moves into the last 16, it also means that he will remain world number one for at least another week.
After the match Djokovic praised his performance and was satisfied with his days work, “I would probably rate it as the best performance of the year,” Djokovic told the press conference.
“Conditions of the training days in the last three days were different than what we experienced tonight. It was slower, and obviously because of the rain it was heavier court and more clay.
“When I made a break on 3-2, I felt a relief and I started to play on a high level in general. I think I was moving well, dictating with the forehand side, moving him around the court and finding my serve also the last few service games, return.
“Just generally very, very good performance. I’m very pleased, considering, you know, that up to today I was not playing my best tennis in the few tournaments that I played this year and still kind of finding my rhythm, finding my groove.”
It’s clear that Djokovic is starting to find his best tennis with glimpses of that being produced in Belgrade and now evident in his opening match in Madrid.
As his Roland Garros title defence approaches that is good news for the Serb who will be keen to once again fend off the likes of Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Djokovic will next face either 14th seed Denis Shapovalov or old rival Andy Murray who is playing Madrid and Rome after initially insisting he wouldn’t play.
In his press conference the world number one admitted it’s good to see Murray playing consistent tennis again, “I have seen a few of his matches, actually I saw some of his match from last night with Dominic,” Djokovic said.
“He’s moving well, playing better and better. It’s really fantastic to see, because he’s an important player for our game. He’s made his mark in the history of our sport by winning multiple slams and gold medals and No. 1
of the world. He’s one of the most important names that we have.
“To have him still compete is great, and to have him even play at the high level as the time goes by is impressive, considering the surgery and what he has been through in the last few years. His resilience and fighting spirit is really inspiring.”
Heading into Thursday’s match, Djokovic leads the head-to-head with Murray 25-11 while also leading Shapovalov 7-0 in their series.
