Beware the Undercooked Djokovic

Some think the Serbian would have been better off playing another event after he lost to Croatia's Dino Prizmic in Rome earlier this month, but it wasn’t meant to be. On his 39th birthday Djokovic, looking refreshed and at ease, sat down in front of the media and addressed the topic with honesty. 

“To be honest, it was a higher force,” he said when asked why he hadn't tried to play more during the clay season. “I wanted to play more, but my body was not allowing me. I was going through a rehabilitation process for my injury.

➡️ Roland-Garros 2026 men's singles draw

“After Indian Wells, it was just not possible for me to compete for several months. That's the reason why.” 

Djokovic, who owns a 101-17 lifetime record in Paris in 21 career appearances, says he doesn’t regret giving it a shot at Rome, and added that his 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 loss to Prizmic was enough to get his blood flowing in the right direction. 

Unsure for some time whether he’d be able to compete this year, Djokovic credits his experience in Rome for his current state of positive momentum. 

“I really wanted to go to Rome to give it a shot and try to see how I feel,” he said. “I was far from being ready to compete, but still I needed at least that one match just to have the score called by the chair umpire and have experience of the nerves before I eventually come to Roland-Garros. At that point I didn't know if I was going to be able to play or not.

“Thankfully, the response of the body and the preparation has been positive in the last 10 days, so here I am, and we'll see what happens.”

It should be noted that Djokovic commenced the 2026 season in a period of uncertainty as well. He rocked up at the Australian Open having not played a single warm-up match for the first time since 2018, but the Grand Slam juggernaut quickly erased all concerns by producing an epic run to the final. He defeated the near-invincible Jannik Sinner along the way. 

The lesson? Most players need a significant  tune-up before playing a major. But Djokovic is built differently. 

Alcaraz's absence doesn't change the game

Turning his attention to this year’s men’s draw, Djokovic said that the absence of two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz hasn't altered his perspective. The bigger concern is getting his body in proper shape. 

“He's a two-time defending champion of Roland Garros,” Djokovic said of the Spaniard. “Of course it's a big blow for the tournament not to have him. I don't think it does significantly change [my approach to the tournament], to be honest, because I have been through challenging times with my body in the last six to eight months.

“I am not really thinking about if I have better chances or not with Carlos being here or not being here, because I feel that if I'm healthy and I'm able to maintain that level of freshness throughout the tournament… then I feel like I always have a very good chance. I have proven that in Australia this year where I was close to winning another slam.

“I always have that belief in myself when I'm on the court.