Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
Novak Djokovic’s shocking Mutua Madrid Open loss is not only the end of his tournament, it may well be the end of an era.
Former world No. 1 Djokovic sprayed one final forehand beyond the baseline ending a 6-3, 6-4 Madrid upset loss to Matteo Arnaldi.
Minutes later, Djokovic said that misfire may well be his Mutua Madrid Open parting shot.
The 37-year-old Serbian superstar said his third straight loss may be his final Madrid match.
“It could be. It could be,” Djokovic told the media in Madrid today. “I’m not sure if I will come back. So, I don’t know, I don’t know what to say.
“I mean, I’ll come back, maybe not as a player, of course. I hope it’s not, but it could be.” Throughout his career, the Grand Slam king has been driven to capture championships.
It is Djokovic’s second three-match losing streak of this 2025 season.
These days, Djokovic concedes it’s a challenge to win matches presenting “a new reality.”
“Kind of new reality for me, I have to say,” Djokovic said. “You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament.
“It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis, so it’s kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face these kind of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments. But, you know, that’s, I guess, the circle of life and the career (smiling), eventually it was going to happen.”