‘Novak Djokovic only cares about winning one tournament’, says former world No 8
Former ATP star John Isner has cast doubt on Novak Djokovic’s chances of winning the French Open as he claimed the great Serb “only cares about Wimbledon at this point.”
Djokovic withdrew from the Italian Open on the back of his second round defeat to Matteo Arnaldi at the Madrid Masters, which is a popular tournament with sports betting fans.
The move means Djokovic is set to arrive at the French Open having lost the two clay-court matches he has played in 2025 in straight sets.
The 37-year-old’s last win on clay was his stunning victory against Carlos Alcaraz in the Paris Olympics gold medal match in August.
Djokovic has won two of the previous four editions of the Roland Garros, having secured his second and third titles on the Parisian clay in 2021 and 2023.
The Serbian, who is chasing a record-extending 25th major, won his maiden French Open crown in 2016 to complete the Career Grand Slam.
Speaking on the Nothing Major Podcast, Isner argued Djokovic will already have his sights set on Wimbledon — where he is a seven-time champion.
“Obviously, it’s really hard for us to say, but if I have to guess, I think he only cares about Wimbledon at this point,” said the former world No 8.
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“It’s very unlikely that he can win Roland Garros and maybe he might even understand that now.
“Three out of five sets over two weeks on clay, with all the great players, with [Jannik] Sinner coming back – it is very unlikely. It’s not his best surface to begin with, he is playing poorly on it right now.
“He was very frustrated, I don’t know if you guys saw, in Madrid on the practice court. You know, he just had a frustrated moment on the practice court, which we’ve all had, but it’s pretty amazing to see for the guy who has completed the game of tennis.
“He still wants more, it’s always so admirable. He is still getting frustrated on the practice court, he wants to continue to get better and try and compete for these big tournaments like in Madrid. That obviously did not happen this week, did not happen in Monte Carlo.
“I think give him another day, he’ll put this loss behind him and we all know his goals for the rest of his career are try to win another Grand Slam, which would be ridiculous for him to do at 37 or 38 years old.”
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