Djokovic lost to Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets at the Madrid Open, and he has now his opening match at four of his last five tournaments.
The Serbian is still searching for his first victory of the clay court season this year, with many questions being asked about Djokovic’s future.
This speculation was only heightened when Djokovic made a confession about the Madrid Open after his worst performance at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in seven years.
In a social media post, the former doubles world number one admitted she was concerned for Djokovic and suggested that he was losing his aura amongst the locker room.
“The worry index continues for Novak, as i pointed out on my latest podcast,” Stubbs said on X (formerly known as Twitter). “He’s making way too many unforced errors (32 today) and NOT locking down in the biggest moments. Guys are not intimidated anymore because of that & that’s the biggest key for these player, they see/feel it.
“When you lose your aura, and in turn are NOT locking down & making these guys suffer, like double faulting 2 x in a row to drop serve in the 1st set. You would never see that from Nole at his best. How do you get that confidence back? You have to win and i worry the motivation is gone.
“At some point in an athlete’s professional life, you hit a wall, age, stress, travel, family life, packing bags, flights, customs, hours on court, in the gym, it gets harder & harder. Your motivation starts to wain and you stop wanting to push through those tough barriers to get the results.”
When you lose your aura, and in turn are NOT locking down & making these guys suffer, like double faulting 2 x in a row to drop serve in the 1st set. U would never see that from Nole at his best. How do u get that confidence back? U have to win & i worry the motivation is gone.
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) April 26, 2025
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Djokovic has won only 12 of his 19 matches in the 2025 season so far, highlighted by his run to the final of the Miami Open.
Despite Stubbs’ concerns for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, she still believes that he can add to his tally.
“Do I think he can still win a slam, of course!” exclaimed Stubbs. “He’s the greatest player of all time BUT it’s getting harder and harder every week because i don’t care who you are, you can’t buy confidence! You have to earn it and currently his confidence is getting chipped away at more & more.”
ALSO! Arnaldi played awesome!!! But looking at the match with a fine tooth comb, the way Arnaldi handled the tough moments, like down 0-40 on serve after breaking in the 2nd, he locked down & was the better player & thats where the shift has happened. It’s not Novak anymore.
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) April 26, 2025
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Djokovic has won three Roland Garros titles, but will need an upturn in form if he is to make himself a contender for this year’s tournament.
The 37-year-old will next head to the Italian Open, as he looks to win his first match of the clay court season.
