Novak Djokovic reveals ‘priority’ as he gives insight into work with Andy Murray
Novak Djokovic is the first to admit that his level of tennis has been patchy recently, but there is no reason to be overly concerned as his main aim is to peak at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
After his run to the semi-final of the Australian Open, Djokovic suffered a couple of early defeats as he lost in the first round of the Qatar Open and followed it up with a second-round defeat at the Indian Wells Open.
Those losses sparked concerns that it might be the beginning of the end for the tennis great, but he bounced back at the Miami Open as he reached the final, losing against teenager Jakub Mensik. That was followed by a second-round exit from the Monte Carlo Masters.
Djokovic concedes his standard has not been at the desired level, but he is using the ATP Tour events to prepare for the French Open and Wimbledon.
“The priority is obviously trying to take the level of tennis that currently is maybe not where we want it to be to the higher level, so that I can peak at [the] French Open,” the 24-time Grand Slam winner told Sky Sports.
“That’s where I really want to play my best tennis, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
“Of course, we’re in Madrid, we came in early. We’re putting in a lot of hours in the court and in the gym, trying to perfect the body and the game and basically every aspect of my game to be a few per cent better than it was in the previous weeks.
“If I can reach that desired level this tournament, that would be amazing. I don’t have really high expectations and I really hope I can get through the first hurdle and then we’ll take it from there.”
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Three-time Madrid Open champion Djokovic is seeded fourth at this year’s ATP 1000 event in Spain and he will kick his campaign off against Matteo Arnaldi in what will be a first career meeting between the two.
He has been putting in the hard work with coach Andy Murray in the past few weeks with the main focus on the physical side of things.
Djokovic, though, admits that motivation is sometimes lacking during practice, but that is where Murray comes into the picture.
“The priority for us is always trying to approach the training session with the right kind of mentality – it’s not always easy,” Djokovic added.
“Some days I feel excited and really motivated, some days less. He [Murray] as a coach also has to manage that, which is not always easy.
“Then it’s obviously about specific elements in the game with certain shots that are happening in a certain pattern for days or weeks already.
“It’s really a combination of things, I would say. As we are coming closer and closer to the first match, we’re working on more of the specifics to fine-tune the game. To be ready to play points and matches, not just from the game standpoint but also mentally and emotionally.
“The first four or five days of being here was more about the physical aspect of trying to build the endurance and strength and get a feel for the different conditions that are here.
“It’s high altitude, so the ball is flying and it takes some time to get used to it. Things are going in the right direction. Obviously, that it’s not a guarantee that I’ll play very well in the match, but we’re generally happy with where we’re going.”
