Djokovic won the opening match of the Monte Carlo Masters

Djokovic described his win as "ugly", as he didn't feel the ball well on his first ATP Tour match in more than a month. Before the opponent who received a replacement in the qualifying round, Djokovic almost lost the first set. After getting used to the style of his left-handed opponent, Nole controlled the situation in the second set and won 7-6, 6-2.

In the experience of playing against the greatest player in history, according to Gakhov, the Russian player played confidently and won many winners from serve and forehand. He lost quickly in the second set because he couldn't maintain consistency on the backhand. Experience at key points is also a difference, as Gakhov has just played his third match on the Tour and Djokovic is in his 1,254th match.

Djokovic lost the first serve game and was 3-4, but leveled at 5-5. In the 11th game, the Serbian player was leading 0-30 but still kept the game. Nole led 3-2 thanks to a mini-break in the first set and did not give the opponent a chance to return.

"I didn't play well today, especially in the first set," Djokovic said after the match. "High winds also affected today's performance. Training and playing on clay are two very different things, you can't predict anything in the game because the bounce of the ball after each stroke is different. together".

Djokovic also admitted he didn't have the best research on his opponent Gakhov, whom Nole was shown only through a short compilation video in the first round. "He has a clear style of play," Djokovic said of the 26-year-old. "Serving, powerful forehand, good backhand. The opponent was tough, but I'm satisfied that I overcame him."

Djokovic will meet one of two Italian players, Lorenzo Musetti or Luca Nardi in the third round. Along with Nole, there are also big names such as defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev, Hubert Hurkacz or Karen Khachanov.