Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, whose recent comeback hasn’t gone according to plan, will be back to his best ahead of the French Open, former US Open runner-up Greg Rusedski has claimed.
12-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic made his high profile comeback at the Australian Open after spending six-months on the sidelines because of an elbow injury. However, the Serb was dumped out of the Melbourne event by Hyeon Chung in the fourth round. The 30-year-old then took another short break from the game to have a small ‘medical intervention’ on his injured elbow before reappearing at the Indian Wells Masters in March.
But Djokovic struggled to find his range in the Californian desert as he was defeated by Taro Daniel in his opening match of the competition. Subsequently, he suffered the same fate at the Miami Masters, losing his opener to Frenchman Benoit Paire.
Despite Djokovic’s poor form, Rusedski has backed the 30-year-old to regain his form and touch before the French Open. And if Djokovic is able to overcome his current slump, he could possibly challenge reigning champ Rafael Nadal for the title, especially after Roger Federer’s announcement that he will give the entire clay-court season a miss once again, like he did in 2017.
“I am not really concerned about Djokovic,” Rusedski told Sky Sports. “I think he will be back once he feels fit again and is mentally there and gets the matches in.
“The question mark is how well the elbow is after the surgery. That was one thing he had to get done and he has but it is just a matter of time, being back in match situations and finding a way to get the job done.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see the old Djokovic back [to his best] possibly before the French Open or for Wimbledon.
“You don’t just lose it, being such a great player. It’s mental but it is also physiological because at times it looks like he is getting tired when historically we have never seen him look fatigued.
“But when you have been away from the game it does take that little longer. We are not all Roger Federer!”
