Novak Djokovic’s shock withdrawal from subsequent week’s Italian Open ought to be an enormous fear for the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s followers as he heads to the French Open with out successful a match on clay this season, former Roland Garros winner Jim Courier mentioned.
Djokovic, who turns 38 three days earlier than the yr’s second Grand Slam begins on Could twenty fifth, has been woefully off form and was comprehensively overwhelmed in his opening matches at Masters tournaments in Monte Carlo and Madrid this month.
The Serb was anticipated to jumpstart his clay marketing campaign in Rome earlier than returning to Paris, the place he received Olympic gold final yr, however on Tuesday, he mentioned he was skipping the Masters 1000 occasion, with out offering a cause.
“That is troubling. It is worrying for me as a Novak fan,” Courier, who received back-to-back Roland Garros titles in 1991 and 1992, mentioned on the Tennis Channel.
The American added that Rome would have been the right venue for Djokovic to search out his rhythm because it had related circumstances to Paris with out the problem of enjoying at altitude in Madrid.
“If you are going to play one between Madrid and Rome (then) Rome could be the one you’ll wish to play to prepare for Roland Garros,” he mentioned.
Djokovic, who’s chasing a one hundredth tour-level title and first since his ATP Finals triumph in 2023, mentioned after his loss in Madrid that he was making an attempt to return to phrases with a “new actuality” in tennis the place he’s simply “making an attempt to win a match or two.”
“I do not know what to make of it, however I do not like the best way it feels within the intestine,” Courier added.
“It is a very unusual factor to announce a pullout now, nicely upfront of it, and we’ll see what all of it means once we get to Roland Garros.”
