"I was especially nervous": Novak Djokovic wants to stay 'realistic' ahead of French Open despite winning 100th title

Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic has stated that he is looking to stay ‘realistic’ at the French Open despite his recent triumph in Geneva. The 38-year-old, who is regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category in the Open era, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles, has recently won the Geneva Open after beating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the final with a score of 5-7, 7-6, 7-6.

That victory was important as it was Djokovic’s 100th title in professional tennis and the first ATP title since the start of 2024. He became only the third player in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) to achieve that feat.

Djokovic spoke to Sportklub’s Saša Ozmo ahead of his tournament opener in Paris against Mackenzie McDonald on Monday. The Belgrade-born star stated that he understands the importance of staying realistic despite overcoming a crucial hurdle in Geneva. Djokovic also admitted that opportunities for him to win more titles would be significantly reduced in the near future.

“I have to be realistic,” said Djokovic. “Considering the last year and a half… I won gold, reached the finals in Wimbledon, Shanghai, and Miami, came close to winning big titles, but the consistency in good performances hasn’t been there. I’m still searching for the confidence, the level of play and movement needed to win a Slam. That’s what I want the most — it’s the reason I’m still playing, after all. Opportunities like this are becoming more and more rare for me — to win any kind of title. That’s why I was especially nervous and under stress on the day of the Geneva final, because this was one of those rare chances, maybe even one of the last. I’m glad I broke the ice, for my 100th title. It took almost a year, and at every tournament people kept asking me about it — I put that pressure on myself, so this is definitely a relief. I hope it serves as motivation going into Paris.”