Novak Djokovic begins his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title at the French Open, aiming to defy age and end a nearly 10-month drought without an ATP tournament win.
The 38-year-old, who hasn’t reached his peak form since capturing Olympic gold in Paris by defeating Carlos Alcaraz last year, arrives at Roland Garros fresh off a coaching split with former rival Andy Murray.
“I know what it takes to be a Grand Slam champion,” Djokovic said ahead of this week’s warm-up event in Geneva.
“It’s not as smooth and easy for me as it was 10 years ago. Obviously, things change and my life has changed a lot, but for the better, to be honest.”
The Serbian has shown at various points this year that the old magic has not completely faded, with highlights including his Australian Open quarterfinal victory over Alcaraz and a run to the Miami Masters final.
But a loss in that match to teenager Jakub Mensik was followed by back-to-back first-round exits at the Monte Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open against Alejandro Tabilo and Matteo Arnaldi, respectively.
Djokovic has uncharacteristically lost six times already this year to players ranked outside the world’s top 30.
“Trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament,” Djokovic admitted after his loss to Arnaldi in Madrid.
“It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis.
“It’s a challenge for me mentally to really face these kinds of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in tournaments.”
Djokovic, the last active member of the “big three” after the retirements of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, has been ranked outside the world’s top three since last September.
The former No. 1 equaled Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles at the 2023 U.S. Open.
However, he has had five attempts at setting an outright record since without success, with his closest effort a Wimbledon final defeat by Alcaraz last year.
Injuries have also taken their toll, with Djokovic withdrawing from the 2024 French Open ahead of the quarterfinals and retiring from his semifinal against Alexander Zverev in Melbourne four months ago.
Djokovic opted not to play at the Italian Open, which Alcaraz won on Sunday, and is instead warming up for Roland Garros at a low-key event in Geneva.
‘Competing bit more challenging’
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz are the two French Open favorites, but Djokovic still fancies his chances of a deep run.
The three-time champion may have lost both his clay-court matches so far this year, but he won the last big tournament missing from his resume at the Paris Olympics.
“Every time I step on the court, I feel the nerves, I feel stress, I feel everything that I guess all the other players feel, and excitement as well,” he said last month.
“Competing became a bit more challenging for me, to be honest. But of course, I’ll do my best for the future.”
It has been touted as the most open Roland Garros men’s draw in decades, given Djokovic’s form and the absence of the retired Nadal, but Djokovic has often bounced back emphatically when counted out in the past.
The last time his future was seriously questioned was after a shock 2018 French Open quarterfinal loss to Marco Cecchinato when hampered by an elbow injury, which saw him drop out of the world’s top 20.
Back then, Djokovic responded by winning Wimbledon a month later and was world No. 1 by year’s end.
He will be hoping the next turnaround in form during his illustrious career starts in Paris over the coming weeks.
“I feel that I still have the game, that I can be one of the contenders for the top Grand Slam titles,” Djokovic said.
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