Novak Djokovic will attempt to reassess his form in the clay-court season as he starts training for the Madrid Open on May 1-8 at the Caja Magica.
After his stunning loss at the Monte Carlo Masters against Jiri Vesely, Djokovic tries to reaffirm his tennis domination in his next tournament at the ATP 1000 Masters Madrid, where he joins the likes of Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
The Serb has started his preparation for his second clay-court tournament, posting on his official Facebook page practice sessions in Berlin, where Djokovic unexpectedly trained in two of the city's biggest tennis clubs.
Djokovic's last appearance at the Madrid Open was in 2013, when he was defeated by Grigor Dimitrov in Round of 32 of the tournament. The 28-year-old Serb has won the tournament only once in 2011 after beating Nadal in the final round.
This year, Djokovic returns to Madrid possibly as the top seed, but his chances at winning the tournament may not be as affirming as his previous outings before his loss in Monaco.
Prior to competing on the clay-courts of Monte Carlo, Djokovic has a staggering match record of 28-1, which includes back-to-back titles in Indian Wells and at the Miami Open. But his loss to Vesely may have hinted that the 11-time Grand Slam winner is not in proper condition to conquer clay-court tournaments.
In ESPN's prediction on the immediate future of Djokovic in the clay-season, three out of four tennis experts believe Nole would continue his slight dip of form in the tournaments leading up to the French Open, which could possibly start in Madrid.
"This spring for Djokovic will be all about the French Open. Everything he does will be geared toward winning that title, so don't be surprised -- or alarmed -- if he drops a match or two along the way. In the back of his mind, all of this will be prep for Paris, and if he wins there, nothing that happened in the preceding month will matter," ESPN tennis analyst Peter Bodo wrote.
Clay-court tournaments have always been the less-friendly events for Djokovic in his career. Aside from the grass court events, where he has only found success during Wimbledon, Djokovic has also less of a success in playing on the dirt, only account 11 of all his 63 titles.
Nevertheless, Boris Becker does not seem too concerned with the circumstances facing Djokovic in the remaining clay tournaments the Serb plans to join. Becker insisted that it is only normal to once in awhile experience a drop of level following Djokovic's rare second round loss.
"In Monte Carlo, Nole had a mental break, but physically he is doing well. After two months at maximum it's normal to drop level," Becker said, reports the Tennis World USA.
A win for Djokovic at the Madrid Open would instantly endorse him back atop the tennis scene, but a loss would probably lessen his chances of his first title at Roland Garros.