should we be worried about Novak Djokovic as Roland-Garros approaches?

The Serb lost in his second match in Rome on Sunday and will arrive at Porte d’Auteuil without having won a single trophy since the start of the season, a first since 2018.

“I have to improve everything, really everything.” After his defeat in the third round of the Masters 1000 in Rome, Sunday May 12, against Alejandro Tabilo, Novak Djokovic did not mince his words. Two weeks before Roland-Garros, the world number 1 is struggling to regain the level of play that allowed him to achieve a dream season in 2023, with three titles and a final at the four Grand Slam tournaments. Reasons for concern tempered by his ability to raise his level of play in important tournaments and his perfect knowledge of his body.

Objective Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, Olympic Games and US Open

At the Foro Italico, where he was titled six times, Novak Djokovic quickly seemed overwhelmed and unanswered against the 32nd player in the world. “I was completely off base, lacking rhythm and balance”he confirmed after the match. “When we see him on the pitch, we don’t see him waiting for something, as if he wasn’t ready yet. It’s quite surprising to see him like that, without revolt”observes Arnaud Clément, consultant for franceinfo: sport, who also underlines the absence of panic among the record holder of Grand Slam titles. “He clearly spoke to us about his program”he adds.

The program in question: to be at your best level for the Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, Olympic Games and US Open sequence. “This three-month block is my priority, everything else is a bonus”, he told “Stade 2” before the Monte-Carlo kick-off. Four wins, two defeats and a stalemate over Madrid later, doubts about his ability to achieve his goals persist. A record, however, not really different from that of last year, when he arrived at Porte d’Auteuil with five victories and three losses on clay on the clock, before lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires by losing only two sets on the whole fortnight.

“We won’t be able to have the answers before the first week of Roland-Garros.”

Arnaud Clément

at franceinfo: sport

The main difference with the previous season does not come from the court, but from outside with a staff reshuffled in recent months. “Nole” separated from his coach Goran Ivanisevic, then from his physical trainer Marco Panichi. Without an official coach, the Serbian is currently accompanied by Nenad Zimonjic “without engagement”, and even thinks about striking out on his own. The need for a new lease of life, a new discourse after five years and a “feeling of saturation, fatigue”in the words of his former coach, who spoke to Sportklub, a Croatian media outlet. “With this movement, I don’t see a player who plans to finish his career quietly”analyzes Arnaud Clément, for whom this big cleaning is also the sign of a still strong appetite from the man with 98 titles on the ATP circuit.

An unharmed body, its main victory in 2024

The only satisfaction for Novak Djokovic may be that of not being injured or excessively tired. Despite the fright of the bottle falling on his skull after his entry into contention in Rome, for which the Serbian announced that he would take examinations, the “Djoker” seems physically unscathed. A strength while Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, his main rivals, had to skip the Italian capital for various pains. “There are a lot of uncertainties about his level, but not about the injuries, that matters”, concludes Arnaud Clément. What currently appear as warning signals could therefore turn into assets at Roland-Garros where he will arrive, once again, in the costume of the number 1 favorite.