(Paris) Stopped in the first quarter for lack of vaccination, Novak Djokovic got back into orbit in a month on clay and presents himself as the main favorite at Roland-Garros, where he is the title holder.
Posted at 1:55 p.m.
Doubled by Rafael Nadal in the race for the Grand Slam trophy record (21 against 20) at the Australian Open, on his favorite playground, Djokovic wants to return the favor to the Spaniard on his beloved land.
“The way I’ve been playing over the past few weeks, I would be one of the favourites. I go there with the greatest ambitions, assumes the world N.1.
From an entrance defeat in Monte-Carlo in mid-April to the title in Rome on Sunday, it only took a month for the Serb, who will turn 35 next Sunday on the opening day of the 2022 edition. , only to be himself again after his almost white first trimester. After the incredible soap opera of his expulsion from Australia, he only played three games (in February in Dubai), for lack of vaccination against COVID-19.
We first had to digest the Australian saga and its repercussions. “This level of pressure that I felt in the first months of the year was something I had never experienced. Even if I know what pressure is, it was something from a whole other dimension”, describes “Djoko”.
Australia? “It’s behind me.”
“But I have the feeling that it is behind me. I feel very good on the court. Mentally too. I am fresh. I’m sharp, “he said after his Roman title on Sunday.
On the short side, after the false start of his first match on clay in Monte-Carlo on April 12 against Alejandro Davidovich, Djokovic methodically recovered from Belgrade to Rome, via Madrid – where he did not have yielded only after a spectacular fight of more than three and a half hours with rising star Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals.
In Belgrade, he battled three sets in his four matches until losing the final to Andrey Rublev 6-0. “I had to work physically throughout the tournament,” he recalls.
“In Madrid, I performed better, I was satisfied with my level of play, but maybe I was not yet sharp in the decisive moments, continues the Serb. I knew that in Rome I just had to continue on the same path. And everything fell into place. »
“Perfect preparation”
“I was confident in my plan when I started training on clay,” he continues. I knew before Monte-Carlo, even without having played in a tournament, that I still felt rusty on the court. And I know that on clay I need more time, at least three or four weeks, to reach the level I’m looking for. »
In Rome, Djokovic won his first tournament in more than six months (Paris-Bercy in early November), without missing a single set, and even inflicting a 6-0 on Stefanos Tsitsipas, outgoing finalist from Roland-Garros and member of the top 5, opening the final (6-0, 7-6).
Physically too, everything is back to normal for the world No.1, who fell ill in April before Monte-Carlo. “I feel in perfect shape,” he says.
“I couldn’t ask for a better week. It’s the perfect preparation before Roland-Garros”, he appreciates, acknowledging his “relief after everything that happened at the start of the year”.