Novak Djokovic visited a doctor after his unexpected semifinal loss to Tomas Machac at the Geneva Open on Friday.
The scare and the result don’t seem good for the Serb, who plays Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the French Open opening round in a few days.
Djokovic’s bad luck began when he lost five games in a row in the first set, giving Machac the opportunity to win 6-4. After what appeared to be a physical altercation on the court, the 37-year-old was seen by the physician.
First, worries were dashed as Djokovic came back with a bagel in the second set. Nevertheless, Machac controlled the third and final game to win 6-4, 0-6, 6-1 and advance to his first ATP Tour final, raising the possibility that the match was a sign of the seasoned player running out of gas.
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It was only the second time in Djokovic’s career that he lost a match following a 6-0 victory in the set; the other one was twelve years earlier at the Paris Masters. The surprising result and the doctor’s visit came at a worrying time for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Djokovic will compete at the French Open this coming weekend in hopes of winning even more significant titles. Roland Garros has produced the fewest Grand Slam victories of all of his victories, with only three trophies to his name.
Therefore, Djokovic would have been concerned about anything below 100% going into the season’s opening clay match, which he lost in three sets in Switzerland to Machac despite looking strong in the lead-up.
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The 44th-ranked opponent of world No. 1 Djokovic easily overcame him earlier this week, following the easy victories of Yannick Hanfmann and sixth seed Tallon Griekspoor.
Rafael Nadal has been the player to beat Roland Garros for the preceding 20 years, but as he gets ready to participate in Paris for what might be the final time, questions over his physical state persist.
It won’t be easy for Nadal against sixth seed Alexander Zverev in the opening round. On paper, though, Djokovic’s opponent, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who qualified for the main event as a wildcard, seems easier.
Tomas Machac, the world number 44 from the Czech Republic, ended his preparation for the French Open when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Geneva Open.
The world’s No. 1 Djokovic, who turned 37 last week, fell short 6-4, 0-6, 6-1.
The Serb did not reach the final before starting his defense of the French Open championship in 2024.
The clay-court Grand Slam action begins on Sunday at Roland Garros.
The 24-time major winner, Djokovic, made his way to Geneva in order to spend more time on the court after an unusually difficult season opener.
After losing to Jannik Sinner of Italy in the Australian Open quarterfinals, Djokovic was knocked out in the final 32 of the Indian Wells tournament.
Djokovic did reach the semifinals at Monte Carlo at the start of the clay-court swing, but after his first triumph, he was accidentally hit in the head by a metal water bottle in his next encounter at the Italian Open.
Two days later, ranked 32nd, Alejandro Tabilo of Chile defeated him.
Djokovic overcame Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor and German Yannick Hanfmann, who had earlier defeated Andy Murray, in Geneva.
But in a one-sided final set, he looked uncomfortable against Machac again and even showed signs of physical discomfort.
In the first match of his quest for a record-breaking fourth French Open victory, Djokovic will play French wildcard Pierre Hugues-Herbert on Monday or Tuesday.
