Novak Djokovic Splashes Out Of 2018 Barcelona Open

Novak Djokovic is out after his opener at the 2018 Barcelona Open. The Serbian continues to struggle throughout this comeback from injury.

Former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is continuing his comeback on the 2018 ATP World Tour. Nole will, however, need to reevaluate his current status after splashing out early at the Barcelona Open. He loses his opener to Martin Kližan. Dealing with a right elbow injury for the better part of a year, Djokovic has played several tournaments this year starting with the Australian Open.

The Serbian great had not played since Wimbledon last year leading into play at Melbourne Park. Despite his up and downs as of late, he has remained high in the rankings. Currently, Djokovic is the world No. 12 in men’s singles tennis and could break back into the ATP Top 10 at any given moment. A string of impressive runs could do wonders for him. Djokovic must determine whether or not the injury is still a factor moving forward. His opening round loss in Barcelona leaves the tournament wide open for defending champion Rafael Nadal and other rising stars.

Nadal has largely dominated the action in Barcelona for more than a decade. A two-time champion in Kei Nishikori sees an early round upset. He, like Djokovic, has also been returning from injury and appears to still have an issue with his wrist as of play this week. The Japanese tennis star has seen success so far in 2018, but may need some more time in order to rediscover his former top-level game. Djokovic, like many veteran greats, is in desperate need of a healthy set of months on tour right now.

Novak Djokovic is a 12-time Grand Slam champion. One of those titles came at Roland Garros. The 2018 French Open is right around the corner.

Next: 2018 French Open Favorites

The French Open is Djokovic’s least successful Grand Slam event. The major tournament has, of course, been Nadal’s for the better part of his entire career in men’s singles tennis. Nadal, even if he’s not quite 100 percent himself, ought to be considered the odds on heavy favorite at Roland Garros. He is the defending champion there and will look to continue his dominance as the King of Clay. Nadal is also coming off of a win at the Monte-Carlo Masters as he enters Barcelona as the top seed. With Roger Federer out of the picture for now, Nadal remains the world No. 1 and the tournaments ahead are his to lose. Look for the Spanish superstar to be the player to beat moving forward. Some others to watch include the likes of Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov this week at the Barcelona Open. Both players win their openers and are looking to gain some much needed momentum heading into play at Roland Garros.

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