The suspicion has always clung to 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic that he is somehow not of this world, that the relentless perfection of his return of serve and his ability to gazelle around the court like a teenager at 36 must mean he is some sort of tennis cyborg sent from the future with a mission to make us forget the name Roger Federer.

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We now know this is not the case, thanks to the player’s most recent wrist fit worn at this week’s Laureus Awards. Made up of 330 diamonds it is, put simply, not the choice of sporting machine but an all-out party animal. Novak, we had no idea.

Even for a man used to giving royal dignitaries high blood pressure, a Hublot Spirit of Big Bang All Black Pavé is a hell of a showstopper. Diamonds aside, the skeletonised dial (hello HUB4700 self-winding skeleton chronograph movement) and titanium case are noteworthy in their own right. The dial suggests Djokovic likes to see how the inner workings of his watch tick – just as he does when trying to mind game an opponent. And for someone used to having his wrists as light and free as possible, it makes sense he rates the titanium case over a heavier steel or gold number.

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“Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but they’re a GOAT move here by Nole,” says Time and Tide Watches’ Andrew McUtchen, himself a loud and proud Hublot fan. “Factory set diamonds on a watch are reserved for performers and athletes at the peak of their powers – when the accolades racked up are in inverse proportion to the fucks given.

“Whenever I see SOBB written, I think of ‘son of a bitch’,” adds McUtchen, “and these words come to mind looking at Novak’s pavé diamond set black Spirit of Big Bang – in an awestruck, totally appreciative way.”

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In truth, Novak Djokovic has been on this trajectory for some time now. In a press conference earlier this year, the Serb admitted he was trying to enjoy himself a bit more off-court as his career draws to a close. “Something that I’m really trying to evolve with this Novak character is a bit more of a personality – trying to have people relate to him,” he said parodying himself in a spoof ATP video that went viral in March. Messing around with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Usain Bolt on the red carpet – while wearing a statement watch for the ages – seems a decent place to start.

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the upcoming Madrid Open just four days before the main draw begins. The second clay-court Masters of 2024 will be held inside the Caja Magica, where Djokovic had initially signed up as the top seed.

The Madrid Open will officially kick off on April 24 and will operate as a two-week tournament, ending on May 5. It is an important pitstop on the road to Roland Garros. However, it’s not uncommon for the world number one to skip Madrid, a tournament he has won on three occasions in his career.

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But given his poorest start to a season in recent years, it is slightly surprising. It is the second time he has withdrawn from a Masters 1000 this year (he also missed Miami). Unlike in Florida, he hasn’t provided any reasons for his absence.

What next for Djokovic after withdrawing from the 2024 Madrid Open?

Djokovic’s withdrawal will make Jannik Sinner the top seed in a Masters tournament for the first time in his career. The Serbian star can only get competitive minutes in one more tournament before Roland Garros, the Italian Open in Rome.

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Skipping Madrid in favor of Rome is a good omen of some sort for Djokovic. He’s won two of his three Roland Garros titles by electing to skip the Madrid Masters (2021 and 2023).

Is this the longest that Djokovic has gone without a title to start the season?

Djokovic’s modest start to 2024 has not yielded any titles so far. He has an 11-4 win-loss record, with three and half months of the season in the books. But it is not his longest title drought to kick off the year just yet. There have been two other occasions in which he went even longer.

Since winning his first ATP title in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, in 2005, Djokovic’s longest title drought was in 2018, lasting six and half months. He ended the barren spell by defeating Kevin Anderson to win Wimbledon.

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His second-longest title drought was in 2022 when he couldn’t play many events because he was unvaccinated against Covid-19. That year, he captured his first title of the season in Rome on May 15. So, having pulled out from Madrid, Djokovic’s current trophyless season will now eclipse 2022 as his second-longest. This year’s Rome final will be on May 19.

Following this year’s first clay court Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo, there have been some huge changes in our top ten. Big names have come back into play, whilst others have shockingly fallen off the rankings entirely. The 2024 tennis season is really starting to hot up and with the return of Rafael Nadal in Barcelona this week, it’s only getting hotter!

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Last week in Monte Carlo saw a strong week for a number of resurgent stars on the ATP tour, whilst there were some more worrying signs for Carlos Alcaraz who seems to be really struggling with injury so far this year. It was a return to form for Novak Djokovic however, who despite falling at the semi-final stage, showed that he is still competitive at the top level after a slow start to the season. Finally, champion Stefanos Tsitsipas showed once again that he is the king of Monte Carlo, and reminded everyone that he will certainly be a factor over the coming months.

With that to come, it’s time to have a look at our latest ATP Power Rankings. Did Alcaraz’s injury see him fall? Was Tsitsipas’ win enough to see him return to the top ten? Let’s take a look.

ATP Power Rankings following Stefanos Tsitsipas’ win in Monte Carlo

1. Jannik Sinner (Previous Ranking – 1)

Death, Taxes, and Sinner at number one. It’s becoming quite the theme in 2024, and it doesn’t look like it will change any time soon. The Italian’s three-set defeat to eventual champion Tsitsipas in the last four ensured that his run of reaching at least the semi-finals of every tournament he’s played this year continued. That level of consistency is unbelievable, and if he can carry this form throughout the clay season, it’s tough to imagine anyone else taking over the top spot.

2. Novak Djokovic (Previous Ranking – 2)

Everyone can calm down with the Djokovic meltdown now. Yes it hasn’t been a flying start to the year, and yes the loss to Luca Nardi at Indian Wells was worrying, but he really hasn’t played that much tennis yet, and his performance in the principality was promising. The 36-year-old came up short against Casper Ruud in the semi-finals but it was a good enough start to Djokovic’s clay season, that fans can be happy with. He’ll have a week to rest before he heads to Madrid, where he’ll be looking to properly get his season underway.

3. Carlos Alcaraz (Previous Ranking – 3)

The Spaniard had to withdraw before the tournament through injury, much to the disappointment of both Alcaraz and his admiring fans. The same will be the case for Barcelona, meaning he won’t have the opportunity to score a hat-trick of titles at the event. He’ll hope to be back and fit for Madrid next week, to give his home fans something to cheer.

4. Daniil Medvedev (Previous Ranking – 4)

Expectations for Medvedev on clay aren’t what they are on hard, so it’s going to be difficult to judge him through this part of the season. A second-round defeat to compatriot Karen Khachanov in Monte Carlo wasn’t the best of starts, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected. He did pick up a title in Rome last year however, so the Russian will be hoping for a week like that sometime soon to maintain his spot in the top four.

5. Alexander Zverev (Previous Ranking – 5)

There is no change in our top five as the German keeps his place. Zverev couldn’t back up a strong sunshine double with a good week in Monte Carlo as he fell to Tsitsipas in the last 16. Losing to the eventual champion is tough to hold against someone however, and I expect there will be a lot more to come from Zverev in the next few weeks. He heads to Munich this week as the top seed, and you wouldn’t be surprised to see him pick up a first title of the season at his home tournament.

Reigning Roland-Garros champion Novak Djokovic has a dual-quest on clay in 2024 – to win a stand-alone 25th Grand Slam singles title in the sport and finally land that elusive Olympic gold medal. Paul Hassall was at the Monte-Carlo Country Club to watch the Serb’s first match of the season on the surface at the Monte-Carlo Masters in what could yet be his most memorable ever on La Terre Battue.

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It was his first competitive tour match since a shock third round loss to lucky loser Luca Nardi in Indian Wells, while his semi-final exit to eventual winner Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open back in January had cracked the air of invincibility from a stellar 2023.