Novak Djokovic finally seems set to feature at a clay-court event this year, having missed all the previous ones over the last month of tennis.
The reasons behind his absence have been varied and justified, but the overwhelming feeling is that he is seeking as close to perfect physical condition as possible ahead of Roland Garros.
There, with Carlos Alcaraz ruled out through injury, the 38-year-old should have his best chance at claiming a record-shattering 25th Grand Slam title.
Alas, opting against playing any competitive clay matches will have taken its toll, no matter how good Novak Djokovic has been on this surface over the years.
This may just have been proven correct, given the scoreline when he faced Arthur Fils in a practice set this week.
Novak Djokovic suffers blow ahead of the Italian Open
Whilst the Frenchman represents a stern test on any surface, he has certainly proven his incredible quality on clay, particularly this season.
After all, he kick-started his campaign with a title in Barcelona, and followed that up with a run to the semi-final in Madrid. There’s no reason to believe he won’t go deep in Rome again as well.
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Djokovic, clearly keen to test himself against a player of his calibre, therefore set up a practice set with the 21-year-old.
The scoreline was damning, with Fils coming out on top, 6-2.
Fils has been told how he must improve after his recent loss to Jannik Sinner, and getting invaluable experience playing a superstar like Djokovic can only help his cause.
How will Novak Djokovic’s lack of clay-court tennis affect him?
There are two ways that Djokovic’s lack of tennis on clay can go.
On the one hand, the rest might be just what he needed, and whilst Rome might not result in a trophy, he could head to Paris completely refreshed and ready to attack for the title.
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After all, having played at the top level of the sport for over two decades, Djokovic knows how to play on clay. There’s little new he would have learned this year.
Alas, the nuances of this surface are obvious, and the transition remains tricky no matter how experienced a player is.
Whilst the Serbian’s physical condition might be replenished, it could take some time to readjust to a completely new way of playing. If he doesn’t enjoy a deep run in Rome, he will have had little to no competitive preparation on the dirt, which could prove pivotal at Roland Garros.
