World no. 1 hasn't made a perfect comeback on clay after winning the ninth Australian Open crown, suffering an early loss in Monte Carlo and failing to win the title in Belgrade.
Novak is aware that he has to improve his game if he wants to chase the 19th Major crown at
Roland Garros, hoping to recover the form in the upcoming events and fight for the title in Paris.
"Roland Garros still stays the main focus for me. I need to improve and play better. To have a chance for the trophy at Roland Garros, I have to play much better than what I did against Karatsev or in Monte Carlo. There's much work ahead of me; hopefully, it can be beneficial for me when it matters most in Paris. It was a good week and a successful tournament in general for us in Belgrade.
I'll hopefully play at home in four or five weeks again; that's the plan. Let's see if that's going to happen. But Roland Garros is the goal; that's where I want to play my best. You never like losing at home, that's for sure. It's painful and disappointing; I don't feel so great now. At the same time, I have to congratulate Karatsev, who played very bravely. Excellent performance from him.
From my side, I played again on a pretty low level, with some flashes of good quality tennis. I was fighting; I mean, that's a positive thing. I was trying all the way. The crowd was great; they wanted to lift me up all the way till the end. Because of them, I think I won the second set. Unfortunately, he was just the better player in the third, especially in the decisive moments. I had my chances, but, you know, that's sport,"
Novak Djokovic said.