"Nadal on clay was a big mountain to climb" - Novak Djokovic reflects on unique feat he holds over his Spanish rival

Serbian tennis superstar Novak Djokovic kicked off his European clay court season in disappointing fashion, as he continues to experience a rollercoaster 2025 season.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion fell in the opening round to the unseeded Alejandro Tabilo in the opening round at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters, and is now 0-2 in career meetings against the Chilean. Although Djokovic was coming off a runner-up finish at the Miami Open, the 37-year old has suffered a handful of early round losses this season, and is yet to win a title in 2025.

With Rafael Nadal now retired, the Monte-Carlo Masters title could have gone to several other challengers. The legendary Spaniard has won the title an astounding 11 times, including an Open Era record of eight consecutive wins.

It was Djokovic who put a stop to Nadal's impressive streak, having defeated the Mallorcan in the 2013 edition of the event. In an interview with BB Tennis, Djokovic recalled his victory over Nadal 12 years ago.

“We haven’t talked about that but I remember my first win against him in Monte Carlo,” said Djokovic. “It was in the final of 2013. I played one of my best matches on clay and it came at the right moment because you know it took me years to try to figure out this puzzle and formula for beating Nadal on clay.
"So not many players have succeeded in several years and multiple times playing at different tournaments and I can proudly say that I have managed to do it at the biggest tournaments, including Roland Garros. Nadal on clay was a big mountain to climb."

Djokovic would win the tournament once more in 2015. However, Nadal was able to recover and win three successive Monte-Carlo Masters titles.