The tennis world is mere days away from crowning the 2016 Monte Carlo champion, and yet when the dust has all settled, arguably the biggest headline to come out of this past week will be the stunning early exit of Novak Djokovic.  That it was an utter shock is indisputable, but what is up for discussion is whether or not the Serb's defeat means anything toward his chances of winning in Paris or was simply a minor hiccup.

There is no getting around the fact that this loss did hurt Djokovic.  Nobody, especially a top player, wants to lose early at an event, particularly when that event is one of the majors or a Masters.  With Djokovic having never won Roland Garros, there is also the sense that his performances at the three clay Masters are weighted a little more heavily than what he does at the other six, since they are seen as more essential to boosting his confidence for a title run in Paris.  As a result, the current No. 1 was surely hoping to at least go deep this week, if not win another title in his adopted hometown.  All told, this week can only be classified as a disappointment for the Serb, but it is also hardly reason to panic.

For starters, Djokovic is so far ahead of the rest of the field that his failure to retain his title basically has zero impact on his ranking.  Furthermore, should he choose to play Madrid, an event he skipped last season, there is a good possibility that he will recoup most or all of the points he lost in Monte Carlo. 

Second, Djokovic's presumed response to this loss has to be taken into account.  Djokovic bounced back admirably to defend his Wimbledon crown last year after suffering a painful defeat in the final of Roland Garros.  His loss this week to Jiri Vesely was hardly of the same magnitude, so there is every reason to believe it will not have any lingering effects.  Additionally, no disrespect to the Czech upstart, but given that his defeat came early in the tournament and to Vesely instead of late and to one of the other members of the established elite, people are much more apt to write this loss off as a bad day at the office for the Serb rather than a sign that the rest of the field is starting to catch him.  Plus, Djokovic has endured premature exits at the tune-up Masters for both Roland Garros and the US Open in the past but still found his best form when it came time to contest those majors. 

And while an early exit is hardly ideal, Djokovic himself alluded to one of the positives that stemmed from the shocking upset, which is the added rest his body will now receive.  Djokovic is in a great position, but as any of the handful of players talented enough to have been as successful as he has been over the last 12 months will attest, that kind of dominance takes a toll both physically and mentally.  That was evident in March, when, although he managed to once again pull off the Indian Wells-Miami double, he rarely looked to be in his top form through those two events.  He was due for a loss, and in a way, the added rest and release of pressure could prove pivotal come Paris.

Lastly, the format of Monte Carlo has to be taken into consideration.  As the pundits always say, defeating a top player is a best-of-five format is a completely different animal from garnering the upset in a best-of-three.  The Serb's match against Gilles Simon at this year's Australian Open proved that, when despite being gifted 100 unforced errors from the top seed, Simon still proved unable to put away Djokovic. 

All told, this week's result in Monte Carlo is hardly a reason for Djokovic or his fans to hit the panic button as it relates to his chances in Paris.  Yes, it was a disappointment.  No, it was not the ideal way to kick off a march towards a first Roland Garros title.  But unless he endures another shocking exit between now and the year's second major, there is no reason to believe he will not be the out-and-out clear favorite to take the title in Paris.