"I don't know what's wrong with him": John McEnroe left puzzled by Novak Djokovic's slump
ATPMonday, 27 May 2024 at 17:15
Novak Djokovic will start his French Open campaign on Tuesday with the imperious 24-time Grand Slam champion set to face off against Pierre Hugues Herbert in the night session tomorrow. But while his form slump remains a mystery, John McEnroe doesn't see a reason himself for it.
McEnroe spoke to the media and Eurosport during Roland Garros and said that it could be a myriad of factors. But that he can't pin point one. He said that Djokovic now seems to have lost his aura and is more human.
Whilst also saying that by his calculations, it is the most open Roland Garros in 20 years as a result of the uncertainty surrounding Djokovic. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner won through their opening rounds in Paris amid uncertainty themselves. But for Djokovic, the big test will likely come later in the tournament.
Albeit as he showed against Tomas Machac last week at the Geneva Open, there is certainly something that is slightly puzzling about his recent form that needs to be sorted and quickly.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him, if it’s because of a physical issue, motivation, age, distractions outside of tennis,” the American said as per Eurosport.
“Right now, he seems more human. It’s the most open Roland Garros in the last 20 years. No one can teach him how to play tennis, I think he needs someone at his side who knows how to motivate him."
“[Players] pay much more attention to the Majors than in my time. We cared about the balance of the entire year.”
“I do believe this is the most open tournament in years. Especially with the uncertainty with a lot of the top players. It’s sort of exciting from a commentator’s point of view. I’m sure it’s very stressful for the players, especially the top players, if they don’t know where they are.
“Obviously, if everyone was healthy you’d have three or four heavy favourites. So at least it opens the door for some other players that wouldn’t normally think they have a shot. There are a couple of Americans doing pretty well. Maybe they get more belief, because they’re coming in healthy. It opens the door for some other players.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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