Novak
Djokovic commented that he remains motivated to play Grand Slams but has lost
motivation in less important events. The Serbian stated at the beginning of the
year that his goals for the year are at the
Australian Open,
Roland Garros,
Wimbledon, and the
US Open, as well as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The world
No. 1 has reduced his schedule, and this year he has only played in four
tournaments, skipping two Masters 1000 events: the Miami Open and the Madrid
Open. Djokovic has left doubts throughout the season, with some surprising
defeats.
Djokovic
continues to struggle to find his best form
At the
start of the year, the Serbian lost in the semifinals of the Aussie Open to an
almost unstoppable
Jannik Sinner. Only two months later, he competed in Indian
Wells and fell in the third round to the 20-year-old Italian
Luca Nardi, who
was outside the top 100 at the time.
From there,
Djokovic's poor form became evident. Shortly after, he announced that he would
not be participating in the Miami Open, despite his participation being
confirmed, and he parted ways with his coach of the last 5 years, Goran
Ivanisevic. Later in the clay swing, he reached the semifinals of the
Monte-Carlo Masters but lost to
Casper Ruud, and his latest defeat came on
Sunday at the
Rome Open against the world No. 32
Alejandro Tabilo, who secured
his first victory against a top-10 player.
"If I
am playing poorly – I am far from the desired form. We’ll see how things go,
Grand Slams are a bit different though, I love playing them, I’m extra
motivated there. I hope everything will be fine with my head," Novak
Djokovic said.
Djokovic is is 12-5 on the season
"This
year, I have a different feeling, the general feeling related to the
competitions. I’m trying to get the most out of myself, but I haven’t succeeded
so far. Now comes the most important block of the year, I’m getting ready for
it," he added.
The next
challenge is the French Open, which begins on May 20th, where Nole defends the
title. It will be a tough challenge for the Serbian, who seems far from his
best form and must at least reach the final if he does not want to concede the
world No. 1 ranking to the Italian Jannik Sinner.