Novak Djokovic is desperate. © ANSA / SALVATORE DI NOLFI

The Djokovic crisis: “Of course I’m worried”

After his overall disappointing dress rehearsal in Geneva, tennis star Novak Djokovic has dampened expectations for the French Open, which begins on Sunday.

25 Maj 2024

From: dpa/dl

“Of course I'm worried. “I haven’t played well at all this year,” said the Serbian world number one: “I don’t see myself as a favorite. I’ll take it match by match and see how far I can go.”

In the first round, the 24-time Grand Slam tournament winner will face Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert. At the tournament in Geneva, Djokovic (37) lost 4:6, 6:0, 1:6 against Czech outsider Tomas Machac in the semifinals after an inconsistent game and also took a medical break. “I had a terrible feeling with my stomach and my health,” Djokovic revealed.

Last year's winner of the French Open has not yet won a single tournament this year. Since he has 2023 points to defend from his 2000 triumph in Paris, he needs to reach at least the semi-finals at the Stade Roland Garros to have a chance of successfully defending his lead in the world rankings. Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner has a great chance of replacing Djokovic as number 1 after the end of the tournament.