Novak Djokovic faces an almighty task at Roland Garros this year, where he will hope to win a 25th Grand Slam title.
Alas, the challenge is only growing, with his early exit from the Italian Open hardly helping matters.
Now, the Serbian heads to Paris with no real preparation on this tricky surface, with Djokovic confirming he’ll play no more clay-court matches before the French Open.
If he is to do the unthinkable and win the title, he will have to do something truly special.
In fact, it would actually be a historic achievement that only Iga Swiatek can boast of having completed before.
Novak Djokovic will have to make history to win Roland Garros this year
Never before has a man won Roland Garros without winning a single clay-court match in the run-up to the event. It just doesn’t happen.
And, the only recorded instance of this occurring was due to Swiatek competing during the 2020 season, which was ravaged by COVID.
Will Novak Djokovic ever return to the Italian Open?
Novak Djokovic lost to Dino Prizmic in his opening match…
Just a few weeks ago, many were stating that Djokovic had a great opportunity at the French Open, after news broke that Carlos Alcaraz’s injury was forcing him to miss the event.
However, with this latest shock loss to Dino Prizmic, any expectation has been discarded.
It will take a monumental, historic task now for Novak Djokovic. Alas, rule him out at your own peril.
Iga Swiatek’s disrupted 2020 season
The 2020 tennis season, like all other sporting seasons, was completely curtailed by COVID.
However, they still managed to get three Grand Slams played, with the first coming right before the world truly began shutting down in Australia.
There, Swiatek could only manage a fourth-round loss before then suffering a shock early exit in Qatar right before play was halted.
Are you worried about Iga Swiatek’s struggles to get over the line or impressed by her mentality?
A tricky opening match in Rome…
Both Roland Garros and Wimbledon were cancelled, and the players then had to wait until August to resume proceedings.
The Polish star underperformed again in Cincinnati and at the US Open, but was handed a lifeline when the clay was rearranged to the end of the campaign.
Swiatek lost in the first round of the Italian Open, yet stormed to the Roland Garros title, making her the only player to have won the event without recording a single win on the surface beforehand.
