ATPTour

When the Mutua Madrid Open draw was finalized 10 days ago, Gabriel Diallo's name was nowhere to be found. After failing to qualify in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, the 23-year-old Canadian’s clay-court season appeared to be unraveling following a second-round qualifying loss in Madrid to Borna Coric.

MADRID — For nearly two decades, Novak Djokovic has been synonymous with dominance, resilience, and an almost mechanical mastery of tennis. But after a straight-sets defeat to Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in his opening match at the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open, the 37-year-old legend acknowledged he has entered a new and unfamiliar chapter in his career — one marked by shifting expectations, mounting struggles, and the undeniable march of time.