ATP Belgrade: relaxed Novak Djokovic looking for the finishing touches before the French Open
Novak Djokovic would like to get the final touches at the ATP 250 tournament in Belgrade this week before the French Open - and was emphatically relaxed before the start of his home event.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: May 23, 2021, 10:09 pm
All too often in men's tennis it does not happen that one of the absolute top favorites for the title competes in a tournament immediately before the start of a Grand Slam event. This week, however, that is exactly the case, Novak Djokovic will still serve in Belgrade before the French Open that starts on Sunday.
On the one hand, the start of the world number one in the Serbian capital is of course due to the bond with the tournament director and brother Djordje Djokovic, on the other hand, "Nole" wants to gain self-confidence in the form of a tournament victory after a so far untitled clay court season before the second major tournament of the year.
Djokovic wants to "shine" in Paris
"I did everything to be at the top in Paris. This is about match practice and working on some specific details in my game. Hopefully I can optimize these and set them perfectly for Paris," said Djokovic Run-up to the clay court event.
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As so often in the recent past, the 34-year-old made no secret of wanting to focus on the Grand Slam tournaments at this stage of his career: "I definitely want to shine there. (...) I'm happy, how I felt on the court and how I played. Hopefully I can go all the way there. "
Freedom regained in Belgrade
Most recently, Djokovic had reached the final at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome, in which he ultimately had to admit defeat to Rafael Nadal in three sets. He was "satisfied" with his performance in the Italian capital and now feels ready for best-of-five matches. so the 18-time Grand Slam champion.
Another circumstance that Djokovic accommodates in his preparation for the French Open is the regained freedom in Belgrade: "We are finally free here. It is the first week on the ATP tour in which we are following the local guidelines. It brings us I have the mental serenity and joy in preparing for Roland Garros, "said the industry leader, who will initially play against Mats Moraing or Egor Gerasimov in Belgrade.
The single tableau in Belgrade