Djokovic Crashes Out of Madrid, Pulls Out of Rome

Novak Djokovic’s clay-court nightmare continues.

The Serbian lost to world No. 44 Matteo Arnaldi in the second round of the Madrid Open — 6-3, 6-4 — stretching his losing run to five matches. He still hasn’t won a single clay-court match this season. And now he’s withdrawn from the Italian Open in Rome.

Djokovic, ranked world No. 5, didn’t hide how much it’s getting to him. “It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis,” he said. “It’s a challenge for me mentally to really face these kinds of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly.”

Rest before Roland Garros is the priority now. But the clock is ticking.