Novak Djokovic admits his ‘expectations are not very high’ for Monte Carlo Masters
Novak Djokovic has revealed that he does not have high hopes for the upcoming Monte Carlo Masters, with the world No.1 also detailing his Olympic aspirations.
Djokovic has not competed on the ATP Tour since his shock Indian Wells defeat to lucky loser Luca Nardi, and has since split with coach of five years Goran Ivanisevic.
And the 36-year-old is now set to kick-off the clay court season in Monte Carlo, but does not appear optimistic about his chances, “The expectations are not very high. 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 won the Monte Carlo Masters on two previous occasion (2013 and 2015), but has only won two matches in his last three appearances at the tournament.
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— Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (@ROLEXMCMASTERS) April 6, 2024
The Serbian spoke about his aim to use Monte Carlo as preparation for Roland Garros, where he will compete at twice this year with the Olympic Games also being held in Paris.
It will be Djokovic’s fifth appearance at the Olympic Games, but the 24-time Grand Slam champion has only medalled once after picking up a bronze in Beijing in 2008.
The tennis events at the Olympics will be held on clay for the first time since 1992, and Djokovic has revealed that the Games are a priority for his season.
“The Paris Olympics are very important, the Olympics have always been a priority for me,” revealed Djokovic. “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.”
Before Djokovic can even consider the Paris Olympics, the No.1 will have to focus on the Monte Carlo Masters where he awaits either Roman Safiullin or a qualifier in the second round.
Inside the baseline…
Novak Djokovic had a relatively poor clay season last year, but went onto win Roland Garros for a third time, so the Serbian probably won’t worry too much if he does not go deep in Monte Carlo. Even more so as Djokovic already does not seem to believe in his chances next week, with the Serbian not reaching the final of the tournament since his last triumph in 2015.
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