“He’s late every time”, what does Novak Djokovic’s fastlife look like in Monaco?
The red and white flag floats high and proud above the prince’s palace, bordered by the light lapping of the waves of the Mediterranean. With the return of spring, birds frolicking and pollen tickling the nostrils of the most sensitive, the little proteges of the Principality are making the Rock shine again. Two victories in three races for Charles Leclerc in Formula 1, the ASM still in the race for a European place in L1 and the start of the Masters 1000 of Monte-Carlo, which actually takes place in the French town of Roquebrune-Cap- Martin.
With, as a high point, the entry into the running this Tuesday of the local stage. No, not the Monegasque Lucas Catarina, beneficiary of a wild card, who will try to get out of it as he can against Taylor Fritz, recent winner of the Indian Wells Masters 1000. We are obviously talking about Novak Djokovic, resident on the Rock since 2007, holder of the “legendary” Vermilion medal for physical education and sports, awarded by his serene highness in person in 2012, who finally returns to a big tournament after his stormy episode in Australia.
In Monaco for tranquility
But, even if he has accommodation in a residential building facing the sea, avenue de la princesse Grace, the Serb is not the type to bother the neighborhood because the kids jump at everything. “He lives in Monaco, but as a tennis player, he spends most of his time on the move, with tournaments around the world,” says Guillaume Couillard, captain of the Monegasque Davis Cup team. He comes back punctually between certain tournament tours, a few days a year, but not too much either. »
A kind of ideal second home, with the sun, the sea, the mountains and, above all, tranquility. “You have what you want in Monaco, everything to be released, explained Djokovic in an interview with the ATP ten years ago, It is the most important thing for the best players to have everything it takes to be quiet. Example: Nole can take a pepouze walk with his dog and his children along the beach, visit the oceanographic museum or go to a small terrace without being tempted by a crowd in search of an autograph. “He has already come to have a coffee or something else, but we still see him very rarely”, we are assured on the side of the Neptune Monaco Beach, a few steps from the home of the world No. 1.
A gluten-free restaurant launched and then closed
Not really more affable, other establishments have no memory of having seen Djokovic set foot on their soil. “He was a little less present here in recent months, because the health measures in France and Monaco were still drastic, with the health and vaccination pass, adopt the tennis player. He was a little stuck, not allowed to enter a tennis club, nor the gyms. He was rather in Serbia, where he was quieter. Add to that the work on Larvotto beach for a year and a half and Monaco had turned into an Alcatraz prison without the bars.
Novak Djokovic could not even take refuge at Eqvita, the (gluten-free) restaurant he launched with his wife Jelena in 2016. You could taste there, according to The Parisian, mushroom risotto cakes or vitelotte potato gnocchi. But the establishment closed a few years later. And, to follow his drastic diet, the Djoker has fallen back on local shops, such as the To be Monte Carlo – Bio Organic Health Store. “He never came in person, he sent people, even if they were never the same”, we are told on the side of the sign, also placed on Avenue de la Princesse Grace. In his shopping basket, “we find classic, pasta and also proteins”. Crisp.
“He does simple things with great rigor”
A little less than the training sessions he does at the Monte-Carlo Country Club: “Either his trainer contacts me, or he warns the ATP offices, which have a building 100m from the club, that he arrives and then I am asked if there are partners hanging around available for training, says Guillaume Couillard. He’s a little late every time, but it’s not just with us. He does very simple things, with great rigor and involvement. It’s a great exercise for our players, which replaces a match in the investment. »
Djokovic also uses the facilities of the Monte-Carlo Country Club for his physical and bodybuilding sessions. And go, on rare occasions, to the Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo Monaco: “He doesn’t come every day, but we are the only establishment that offers this type of treatment”, we are told. On the program, sports massages, relaxation, hydromassage treatments, cryotherapy. He can then parade quietly at the Louis-II stadium to play a charity match before the Formula 1 GP or even kick off an ASM match, as he did in 2013, against Clermont, in Ligue 2. Yes, not everything shines all the time in Monaco.