Mark Petchey warns doubters Novak Djokovic will be in ‘top gear’ at French Open
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Mark Petchey is 100 percent certain that Novak Djokovic will be at his best when the time comes for the French Open. Djokovic, ranked at No 1, suffered a shock Monte Carlo Masters round-of-16 loss to Lorenzo Musetti in his first clay tournament of the year.
At last week’s ATP event in Banja Luka, Djokovic suffered another shock loss as the world No 1 was beaten by Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinal. After a shock Banja Luka loss, Djokovic pulled out of the Madrid Masters – the reason for the Serb’s withdrawal wasn’t given.
“Anyone thinking that @DjokerNole won’t be in top gear by @rolandgarros simply hasn’t been paying attention for the last 18 years,” Petchey tweeted.
Anyone thinking that @DjokerNole won’t be in top gear by @rolandgarros simply hasn’t been paying attention for the last 18 years — Mark Petchey (@_markpetchey) April 24, 2023
Djokovic wants to be in top shape come the French Open time
Djokovic didn’t hide his frustration after suffering a 6-4 7-6 (6) loss to Lajovic.
“Lajovic played well. On the other hand, I played much worse than I wanted to. I cannot win matches against opponents who are this solid on this surface by playing like this. I didn’t feel well on the court, my legs were slow and my footwork was torpid, many missed shots, totally without direction.
I played well at times but I played noticeably under my level,” Djokovic said after his Banja Luka exit. Also, Djokovic underlined his main priority remains on being fully ready for the French Open. “I hope to get into tip top shape for Roland Garros.
I want to play my best tennis there. The conditions are totally different there in comparison with Monte Carlo and Banja Luka. There are still several weeks to practice and play. In the previous seasons, I’ve always had an unsatisfying and slow start on clay and then played much better tennis in the final stages.
I hope to repeat the same pattern this year,” Djokovic said. Djokovic is expected to return to action at the Rome Masters.
Read More: Mark Petchey warns doubters Novak Djokovic will be in ‘top gear’ at French Open 2023-04-26 01:40:30