According to John McEnroe 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is trying to get his old mojo back at the Roland Garros as he still has a lot to prove.
The legendary Serbian arrived in French capital with low expectations and high hopes after bearing some uncharacteristic losses this season.
The fans around Philippe Chatrier probably felt much the same about the World No. 1’s chances at French Open when he passed an unusually competitive R1 test against World #142 Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The scoreline 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4 showed that something was not right about the Serbian’s business in the opening round.
Talking to Eurosport, McEnroe suggested Djokovic’s decision to split with longtime aides Goran Ivanisevic and Marco Panichi suggested all was not well in the 37-year-old’s camp.
“I don’t know how Novak has kept it up this long. Certainly, some of it is to chase Roger and Rafa and now he has to look at the younger group,” McEnroe told Eurosport.
“It’s a tall order now he’s 37 years old, but he’s done an amazing job with his career. It’s hard to argue he’s not the best player of all time.
“To me, Rafa was the best on clay, Roger was the best on grass and Novak was the best on hard courts.
“Novak talks a lot about being in the right headspace and having that zen feeling but that’s not what he has had this year. I’m not sure why, no-one does. This is the test to see out a Major and see how deep he might have to dig if necessary.
“There’s been a lot of change. A new coach, got rid of the manager and physio. It seems to be impacting his on court play but he wants to get away from Nadal and Federer as possible at the Majors.
“I would’ve been surprised if Nadal went deep and won it but I wouldn’t be surprised if Novak won it. He is still ranked No 1 in the world and you can’t count him out.
“He has pretty much broken every record but is just looking to distance himself at this point. He wants to win a couple more Majors and have the crowds love him more.”
Djokovic in his press conference assessed his performances while talking about his upcoming matchups. He insisted the win against Frenchman didn’t give him the answers he was seeking after a rocky start to 2024 campaign.
“I still stay with my low expectations,” said Djokovic. “Monte Carlo, Rome and Geneva all started great for me in the first matches.
“Then the second and third matches were quite different, so I don’t want to get too excited.
“I thought it was a good performance from me, solid. He served very well, it is one of the best kick serves I’ve faced. He is very talented, mixes things up and comes to the net.
“I’m glad the way I felt on the court. Compared to previous weeks, I felt better. I am moving in a positive direction.”