Tennis great Mats Wilander has asserted he is not worried about the form of Novak Djokovic so far in 2024 as he stressed the legendary Serbian does not need to be at his best until the French Open.
The Swede does not think Novak Djokovic’s results outside the majors are important and believes the fact he “hasn’t won too much on tour” in recent years is the reason “he’s winning so many Grand Slam tournaments.”
Following a staggering 2023 season during which he claimed seven titles — including three Grand Slams — Djokovic has not found his best level yet this year.
The world No 1 was beaten convincingly in four sets by eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the 2024 Australian Open in January — his first defeat at the event since 2018. The loss was the first time in Djokovic’ career where he failed to create a break point in a Grand Slam match.
The 36-year-old then took a break before competing at the Indian Wells Masters this month, where he fell to a shock three-set third round defeat to lucky loser Luca Nardi.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion subsequently withdrew from the Miami Open, saying: “At this stage of my career, I’m balancing my private and professional schedule. I’m sorry that I won’t experience some of the best and most passionate fans in the world.”
Speaking to Eurosport, seven-time Grand Slam champion Wilander explained why he is not concerned about Djokovic after his early exit in Indian Wells.
“Novak Djokovic doesn’t really care when he loses in the smaller tournaments. I mean, he would like to win every tournament, he’d like to win every match,” the former world No 1 said.
“But I do think that sometimes these days he goes on a trip just to test himself. ‘How good has my practice been back home?,’ or wherever he’s been practicing.
“And then he gets to a tournament and he’s playing the other pros, the best players in the world, and he realises after he wins a round or two or three or whatever the result is, I think he realises, ‘oh okay, I’m close enough, I don’t need to be any better at this particular moment’.
“‘The French Open is two months away and that’s when I need to be at my best for the French, for Wimbledon’, and then you push through and hope for the Olympics.
“But right now, in terms of competition, it is a little bit of an off-season. It would be great to win the Sunshine Double again for Novak Djokovic, but he’s not even playing in Miami.
“So basically, it’s a [case of] getting a couple of matches, understand that he’s very close, ‘I’m going to go home, I’m going to practice again and then I’ll be ready for the next match’.
“But I’m not worried. I was always worried about Novak winning too much and I think the last few years he hasn’t won too much on tour, which is why he’s winning so many Grand Slam tournaments because he’s fresh. I don’t think it matters.
“This surface again is not perfect for Novak with the slow bounce, the high bounce; I think that he prefers a faster court. So I think he goes and realises that Luca Nardi is another young Italian who’s really good.
“There’s a lot of good players out there who aren’t worried about Novak in terms of the physical part, unless it’s three out of five sets and then they become worried. Novak knows all this. I wouldn’t worry and I’m sure he’s not worried either.”
