To argue that Novak Djokovic hasn’t had a great year so far would be an understatement. Already a third into the season, he remains without a title to his name, keeping his career tally at 98. Considering that he had a sterling 2023 that included seven championships, two in Grand Slam stops, conventional wisdom figured he would continue his dominance of the sport. Instead, all he has to show through four tournaments are two semifinal-round appearances and two more even earlier flameouts.
To be fair, Djokovic has had to deal with a variety of ailments, including a wrist injury in the run-up to his failed bid to defend his Australian Open title. There is also his advancing age to consider; he’s turning 37 next month, and for all his extraordinary longevity, he has been visibly laboring in contests. For comparison, it’s significant to note that erstwhile wunderkind Roger Federer had likewise suffered a precipitous drop in performance at around the same career stage.
Given Djokovic’s continuing challenges, it’s fair to discount his bid for a fourth French Open crown. For one thing, clay isn’t his best surface. For another, his mental state seems less than optimum, especially in light of his parting of ways with longtime coach Goran Ivanisevic. Yesterday, for instance, he could not help but lash out at a rowdy spectator en route to bowing to 10th-ranked Casper Ruud at the Monte-Carlo Masters; never mind that he hadn’t so much as given up a set to the Norwegian in five previous encounters. That he was bothered enough by extraneous noise to court a code violation in the face of his countless pronouncements on getting strength from adversity underscores his fragile condition.
The good news is that Djokovic has a month to get his act together before setting foot at Roland Garros. Up next: the Madrid Open next week, where he aims to do better — make that much better — than he has to date. Whether it’s doable isn’t in question; his track record affords him the benefit of the doubt. Whether it’s realistic, however, is another matter altogether.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
