Novak Djokovic: What His Withdrawal from Monte Carlo Means for the Clay Season

The news that our new prince of the court, Novak Djokovic, had withdrawn from the Monte Carlo Open was, to say the least, surprising.

Not only because for what he has achieved in the last few months, but also for the fact that those last few months seem to have evinced a quality which many had doubted he possessed: long-term physical stamina.

Which isn't to say, by any stretch of the imagination, that he lacks long-term physical stamina. That, really, has yet to be seen.

The celebration of his outlasting Nadal in the Miami final, however, seemingly fitter, on that day, than arguably the fittest guy on tour, is noteworthy, and it would be worthwhile tracking how thoughts like these go over the next four months.

Djokovic's announcement was surprising, too, to some extent, because we had become used, in some odd way, to these sorts of announcements from the Serb...not just from tournaments, of course, but more famously, from matches (and certain Grand Slam semifinal matches, at that).

It was surprising because it hadn't been surprising. It can only speak volumes about how much progress he has made, how much of an aura he has accrued, over the last three months.

Certainly, many would not have been wrong to pick Djokovic to win on a clay-court against just about anybody...even, possibly, Rafael Nadal. Now that he is out of Monte Carlo (at least), certain projections, naturally, have to be altered.

Firstly, the idea that he will win the tournament has to go out of the window, obviously. But who else might, now? Nadal, almost definitely; it wasn't as if he wasn't the favourite already, anyway.

But to avoid the obvious at first, some paltry statistics: Djokovic's withdrawal gives the current world No. 3, Roger Federer, some opportunity to recoup valuable rankings territory.

With Djokovic dropping off his semifinals points from last year, and Federer having everything to gain, we can only expect some minor realignment of the standings by the end of next week.

Federer, then, will be the second seed, and, barring any unexpected slip from what has been an impeccable consistency over the last eight months (reaching 12 consecutive semifinals so far), the fates seem drawn from a renewal of that great fad: the Federer-Nadal rivalry.

We have had so many memorable matches between the two over the years at this tournament, that things often just seem to work out nicely for the two to meet here.

Only over the last two years, in 2009 when Federer wasn't too motivated, and last year when he didn't play, have we been denied this glorious privilege.

So, alas, Djokovic may be granting us a boon, without even playing at all. A subtle shift in power...possibly, should Federer even win the tournament, a chance for the Swiss to regain the No. 2 ranking.

At least, that is what the maths would reflect, although reality would probably find reasons to differ.

Something is just itching to cry out that this next week will only be but a hiatus in an increasingly engrossing trend of play shaped around a Serb and a Spaniard.