Novak Djokovic ‘will raise the bar at Roland Garros’ after ’emotional’ struggles, predicts former world No 1

Ewan West 27 Apr 2025 3:57 PM

Novak Djokovic reacts during his match

Former doubles world No 1 Nicolas Mahut assessed that Novak Djokovic has been struggling emotionally and mentally on court after the Serb’s second round Madrid Open defeat.

Djokovic‘s losing streak stretched to three matches as he fell 3-6, 4-6 to Matteo Arnaldi in his opening match at La Caja Magica.

The tennis great hit 32 unforced errors and was well below his best in what was his first meeting with Arnaldi, a talented 24-year-old Italian ranked 44th in the world.

The 37-year-old has lost his first match at four of the seven tournaments he has played in an inconsistent 2025 campaign to date.

His other opening match losses came in Doha, Indian Wells and Monte Carlo to Matteo Berrettini, Botic van de Zandschulp and Alejandro Tabilo respectively.

However, the world No 5 showcased flashes of brilliance at both the Australian Open and the Miami Open.

Djokovic earned a stunning win over Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarter-finals before a hamstring injury forced him to retire in his semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev.

At the Masters event in Miami, Djokovic claimed five impressive straight-set wins en route to the final, where he was beaten by an inspired Jakub Mensik.

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Mahut, who lost both of the matches he played against Djokovic, backed the 37-year-old to improve in Rome and at the French Open, but also highlighted a concern.

“I think it’s also emotionally and mentally that Nole hasn’t been able to raise the bar, as he most certainly will at Roland Garros,” the Frenchman was quoted as saying by L’Equipe.

“He’ll certainly be even better in Rome, already, in two weeks.

“The problem is that if he’s not in the top four seeds in Paris, he risks being very exposed from the quarter-finals, and I don’t know if he would then have the resources necessary to string together these last three matches.”

Djokovic sits fifth in the Live ATP Rankings on 4,130 points after adding the 10 points he collected for his early exit in Madrid.

This leaves the 24-time major winner 635 points adrift of world No 4 Taylor Fritz — who is still in action in Madrid.

The Serbian’s chances of being seeded fourth at the French Open now appear slim, barring a big result at the Italian Open and a slip up from Fritz.