“I've seen him drop for a while now”: Gilles Simon addresses about Novak Djokovic's performance dip

Former French tennis player Gilles Simon, who retired in 2022, recently shared his views on Novak Djokovic's decline in an interview with Stats Perform during the French Open. Simon believes that Djokovic's dip in form is natural given his age.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion turned 37 in early May and has not displayed the impressive form he showed in 2023, when he won three Grand Slam titles. This year, Djokovic holds a 14-6 record with no titles, significantly below his usual standards. The Serbian is set to make his debut on Tuesday, 29 May, against local player Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

According to the former world No. 6, it is natural for Djokovic’s performance to decline with age. Simon pointed out how quickly things can change, referencing Djokovic's defeat at Wimbledon a year ago: "You are in a very short media window and it is amazing how things change. Last year when he lost [the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz], I said that for me, he had one year left.”

"It's more a question of age; there's a break around 37 or 38 when it gets tough. He was playing well last year, he won three Grand Slams, but I've seen him drop for a while now,” Simon added. "For me, there were already signs on the court that he's dropping, but he was and still is completely capable of having a great 2024 season.

"I have more doubts about the 2025 season, and I already had some last year, above all linked to the physical aspect." Despite a challenging few months, Simon has no doubt that Djokovic – who is 14-5 for 2024 – can still compete for titles.

"Now he's in a slump, so everyone wants to bury him, but he's still capable of playing very well," Gilles Simon said. "Last year it was [seen as] shameful to say that he was starting to drop, with people saying, 'You're talking rubbish, he's won three Grand Slams'.

"If I say now that he's playing well, they'll tell me he's finished, that he lost again in Geneva. Take it easy! We're not going to bury him. Nobody's going to bury Novak and he is still capable of great things,” he added. "On the other hand, he's like everyone else. He's reaching an age where players like [Rafael] Nadal before him or like [Roger] Federer before him have dropped."