‘Maybe he’s losing a bit of his level’ – Novak Djokovic form assessed as Serb is told ‘the solution’

Ewan West 20 Mar 2025 11:23 AM

Djokovic reacts in frustration

Two-time French Open runner-up Alex Corretja has discussed the difficult run Novak Djokovic is enduring as he emphasised the importance of the great Serbian finding solutions.

Djokovic is on a three-match losing streak heading into the Miami Open — where he will face world No 86 Rinky Hijikata in his opening match.

The 37-year-old started the 2025 season by reaching the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International, losing to Reilly Opelka.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner then impressed with victories over Tomas Machac, Jiri Lehecka and Carlos Alcaraz en route to the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

Djokovic was forced to retire after losing the first set of his last four showdown with Alexander Zverev in Melbourne due to a hamstring injury he sustained in his quarter-final win against Alcaraz.

The world No 5 has lost his two opening matches since the Australian Open: to Matteo Berrettini at the Qatar Open and Botic van de Zandschulp in Indian Wells.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Corretja weighed in on Djokovic’s form and suggested players now have more belief that they can beat the tennis legend.

“It did happen to me, of course,” the Spaniard said. “You feel like you’re practising quite well and your level is quite high, and you’re playing with players and you feel like you can beat them, but somehow, when you play matches, tournaments, you struggle.

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“The good thing for Novak is he’s been 100 million times better than me, and he will have more resources in these situations. But it is the same for everyone: somehow, you lose a bit of speed on your movement, you don’t hit the ball as hard, or maybe you get a bit late to the ball, or maybe things are not as clear in your head and then you start losing those matches where before, maybe you found a way.

“Once it happens, people start thinking they can beat you, and they go on court thinking ‘I’m going to hang in there because he’s struggling a little bit’, whereas before, maybe they would have given up because they knew that it was just impossible. So it’s a combination.

“It’s a bit worrying when that happens, but I’m not so sure he’s feeling that way yet. If he felt that way, it is a symptom that maybe he’s losing a bit of his level of tennis.

“When you feel like everybody’s playing such a great match against you, it is because maybe you’re not as great as before.

“So again, always give him the chance and the credit, but he needs to find solutions in order to feel dangerous in the tournament.”

The former world No 2 continued: “I think the solution is to play only the tournaments that you really feel like playing, and give your 100 per cent there.

“Don’t save energy for other events that are not worth it for you. Commit to that because it is impossible to keep your momentum for the whole year.

“So you really need to choose where you want to peak: let’s say in the majors, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and to see what you need to do to achieve that and if it means to play here or there beforehand.”

Djokovic, who is a six-time Miami Open champion, is playing the Masters 1000 tournament in South Florida for the first time since 2019.