Novak Djokovic advised what he must now do to give himself the best chance at Roland Garros
Novak Djokovic’s chances at Roland Garros this year have been buoyed by Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal, but that still might not be enough due to Jannik Sinner’s form.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion will be the third seed at the Paris Grand Slam, behind only Sinner and Alexander Zverev, but he will be hoping he is drawn on the otherside of the draw to the Italian.
Djokovic has won Roland Garros on three occasions, in 2016, 2021, and 2023, but many pundits believe the French Grand Slam as his worst chance to win a 25th major out of all four of the main events in tennis.
That will not deter Djokovic, however, as his mentality has always been one of his strongest aspects and the key reason why he was able to dominate the landscape of tennis for such a long time.
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Speaking on the Inside-In Tennis Podcast, Shelby Rogers believes Djokovic needs to think about his own path through Roland Garros, rather than worry about withdrawals and who he might face.
“At this point in Novak’s career, I think he’s got a very clear idea of what he wanted to try to do this year, and that’s obvious by his choice of scheduling and tournaments he’s playing,” said the American.
“And so, I think with players in the draw or not, his approach does doesn’t necessarily change. His draw and his matchups will, and I think that might be a little bit of relief for him, but he’s going to take control and control what he can, and his approach is going to stay the same.”
Rogers believes muscle memory could play a key part for Djokovic, who has lifted more major tournaments than anyone else in the Open Era.
“He has been out there doing this for the longest over anyone,” explained the former World No. 30. “And so, I think to give himself the best chance, he’s got to tune out the noise, which he’s so good at doing.
“He’s done it his whole career in the shadow of Federer and Rafa and pretty much everyone, and he’s made a name for himself. And so, to your question, I think no, it doesn’t change his approach, but he’s probably not mad about it. We’ll put it that way.”
The Serbian has already arrived at Roland Garros and he has been hitting the practice courts hard, much to the delight of the French fans in Paris.
Djokovic has been practicing with Marin Cilic and Alexander Zverev, and he will find out his fate when the Roland Garros draw is made on Thursday, 21st May.