Novak Djokovic says his focus at the upcoming Monte Carlo Masters will be on building his clay court game and not claiming the title.
The world No.1 enters into his first clay event of 2024 having played just two singles tournaments. At the Australian Open, he reached the semi-finals before losing to Jannik Sinner, who went on to claim his maiden major title. Then in Indian Wells, he was stopped in n the third round by Luca Nardi.
In light of his most recent defeat, as well as the departure of coach Goran Ivanisevic, questions have been raised over what form the Serbian is currently in. Something a frankly-speaking Djokovic addressed on Saturday when talking to the media.
“The expectations are not very high,” the AFP News Agency quoted Djokovic as saying. “My results here in previous years are not great.
“It’s all about building my game for clay courts. I want to reach my peak for Paris – that’s where I want to play my best tennis.
“Anything else is a bonus, so let’s see what happens.”
Djokovic has a mixed record at Monte Carlo, which he has won on two previous occasions (2013 and 2015). In his three more recent appearances, he has failed to reach the quarter-final stage and it has been nine years since he featured in a final at the tournament.
Roland Garros is the pinnacle clay event of the season but there is another significant tournament taking place on the surface which the 36-year-old has his eyes on. The Olympic tennis event will be held at the same venue as the Grand Slam. Despite Djokovic’s numerous accolades, he is yet to win a gold medal but he did win a bronze in 2008 at the Beijing Games.
“The Paris Olympics are very important, the Olympics have always been a priority for me,” he stated.
“But in the last three or four Olympics it’s not been possible for me to reach the later stages.
“The situation is a bit different now, we are playing our first Olympics on clay. I want to be ready physically and mentally.”
The difficulty with the Olympics is its scheduling. It takes place after the French Open and Wimbledon. Then after that event, the US Open will begin four weeks later in New York.
Djokovic is set to begin his Monte Carlo campaign against either Roman Safiullin or a qualifier/lucky loser. Later in the draw, he could then face Taylor Fritz in the third round followed by a clash with reigning champion Andrey Rublev.
