Novak Djokovic has stated that his main focus, while working with Andy Murray as his coach, is to be in top form for the French Open and Wimbledon, following a couple of challenging months.
The 37-year-old is scheduled to play in the Madrid Open this week, marking his first appearance there since 2022. He hopes to recover from a surprising first-round loss to Alejandro Tabilo in Monte-Carlo earlier this month.
This recent defeat came after losing the Miami Open final to Jakub Mensik, which prevented Djokovic from securing his 100th career title.
Despite being a 40-time ATP Masters 1000 champion and close to joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) in the record books for title wins, he acknowledged that his priority, based on recent performances, is to peak specifically for the Grand Slam tournaments.
“The clear priority is obviously trying to take my current level of tennis, which perhaps isn`t exactly where we want it to be, up to a higher standard, so that I can peak at the French Open,” Djokovic explained in Madrid.
“Roland Garros and Wimbledon are the places where I truly aim to play my absolute best tennis.”
He added, “Certainly, being here in Madrid, we arrived early. We`re dedicating many hours on the court and in the gym, working to perfect my physical condition and my game, essentially refining every part of it to be slightly better than in the previous weeks.”
“If I can reach that desired standard in this tournament, that would be wonderful. I don`t have excessively high expectations, and my main hope is to navigate the initial challenge successfully, and then we`ll take things one step at a time.”
Britain`s Andy Murray became part of Djokovic`s coaching setup in November. Djokovic revealed that Murray plays a significant role in helping him manage his motivation during training, and both are currently content with their collaboration.
“For us, the priority is always striving to approach training sessions with the correct mindset – which isn`t always straightforward,” Djokovic noted.
“Some days I feel genuinely excited and very motivated, other days less so. As a coach, he [Murray] also has the task of managing that, which isn`t always easy.”
He continued, “Beyond that, it`s clearly about focusing on specific elements within my game, particularly certain shots that have shown recurring patterns over several days or weeks.”
“It`s really a combination of factors, I`d say. As we get closer to the first match, we`re concentrating more on specific details to fine-tune the game. The goal is to be prepared to play points and matches, not just from a technical perspective, but also mentally and emotionally.”
“The first four or five days upon arriving here were more focused on the physical aspect – building endurance and strength and adapting to the distinct conditions here,” he explained, referring to Madrid`s characteristics.
“The high altitude causes the ball to fly, and it takes some time to get accustomed to that. Things are moving in the right direction. Obviously, this doesn`t guarantee I`ll play exceptionally well in the match, but we are generally pleased with our progress.”
