The outspoken American analyzed the alarming situation the Serbian is going through: “It’s a very strange time.”
With less than a week until the start of Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic’s condition remains a complete mystery. His brief appearance at the Rome Masters left more questions than answers, sparking expert opinions about his fitness.
Will the Serbian have enough time to compete for the title in Paris? Why hasn’t he won any titles in the first five months of the season?
One person who decided to weigh in, albeit cautiously, was Andy Roddick. The American is well-acquainted with the circuit and the Balkan player, having faced him nine times, leading the head-to-head 5-4.
But now, his role is off the courts, explaining what happens. Through his podcast ‘Served’ and in statements collected by Eurosport, the former world No. 1 shared a brief analysis about the man who is currently the focus of the tennis world.
“It’s a very strange time. I don’t usually get carried away by a single result, but in the last six months, we’ve seen him fall decisively to Jannik Sinner in Melbourne, he also lost to Alex De Minaur at the United Cup and to Luca Nardi in Indian Wells, which is quite odd considering he came in after several days of preparation,” Roddick said.
“It’s true that in Monte Carlo he made the semifinals, which for the rest of us would be our best result ever in a clay Masters 1000, but he arrives and loses to Casper Ruud, a player he had never lost a set to in previous encounters.”
“Most concerning was seeing him struggling to breathe, running out of air at times during the match. In Rome, there was the bottle incident. Only he can tell us how he feels, but then he goes out and loses to Tabilo, who is a good player, but he’s not Novak Djokovic,” Roddick emphasized.
Paris is the next test
Djokovic has a record of 12-5 in the five tournaments he has played this season. The record is poor considering we are talking about the greatest player of all time, but precisely for that reason, there are people still hoping for a turnaround at the last bend. However, it’s not easy to be sure.
“The good thing about Grand Slams is that you’re not playing guys who are 25 years old in the first round, so you have time to progress and overcome ugly matches. Maybe Novak gets through the first week and becomes Novak again […] Right now, I’m more worried about his game than I have been in the last 15 years,” Roddick said.
“I’m not saying it would surprise me to see him play well at Roland Garros, but how long will it be before we can say Novak is okay? How long until we trust to see him turn certain situations around, to see that he’s the usual Novak? I’ve been saying this all year, but it was very strange in Rome.”
“Right now, the ramp is pointing to the highest: Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the Olympics. He has said that he is prioritizing the Olympics, but I don’t see him picking up speed as that ramp approaches,” the American confesses with complete sincerity.
In conclusion: even those who know what this is all about can’t explain the dip in performance of the Belgrade tennis player.
“I’m worried about his form, it might just be a strange situation, even someone like Novak needs a constant cadence with tennis,” Roddick said.
“I don’t know if you can show up big after a break, make everything work again no matter how great you are. We’re used to that greatness where Novak doesn’t need any coincidences, but we can’t expect him to be the best forever,” he concludes.
