The world No.1 has been absent from the tour since his shock third round loss to Sam Querrey at the grass-court major, ending his 30-match winning streak in grand slam tournaments. The loss was Djokovic’s worst result at a major tournament since the 2009 French Open. At the time the loss was a bitter pill for the Serbian to swallow after his maiden triumph at Roland Garros. Nevertheless, Djokovic has now put the disappointment behind him.
“Everything happens for a reason so obviously I didn’t enjoy losing the first week of a grand slam,” he told atpworldtour.com.
“On the other hand, the next day it was already behind me.”
This week’s Toronto Masters is perhaps the best tournament for Djokovic to re-establish himself as the king of the tour following the series of big-name withdrawals. Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have all opted to skip the event as the Rio Olympics swiftly approach. Despite the withdrawals, the favourite is keeping coy about his title chances.
“I don’t expect anything. I just try to get myself ready for performing as best as I can,” Djokovic said.
“I had a bit more time because of the early loss at Wimbledon to spend some quality time with family, regroup a little bit and start training on hard court, which I enjoy the most. So I look forward to it.
“I have a wonderful history in the Rogers Cup in Toronto and Montreal. That’s what goes through my mind right now. Just enjoy, play well, play singles and doubles and get as many hours in as possible.”
Djokovic has an impressive record at the Rogers Cup with a win-loss of 30-6. He has won the trophy on three previous occasions (most recently in 2012) and has earned over $2 million in prize money from that tournament alone.
A title in Toronto this week will hand Djokovic his fourth Masters trophy of the year. He will also become the first singles player in history to win 30 Masters 1000 titles in the singles draw.
Djokovic’s potential draw to the title in Toronto: Muller, Paire, Berdych, Raonic & Wawrinka. #RogersCup
— Tennis Connected (@TennisConnected) 23 July 2016
