3 Things that could stop Novak Djokovic at French Open 2024
Novak Djokovic is set to defend his crown at the French Open on Sunday, May 26. He will start his campaign by facing Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the first round at Roland Garros.
The Serb remains one of the favorites to win the title, which will be his 25th Grand Slam. However, there is a possibility of him being ousted from the tournament earlier than usual. Here are three things that could stop Djokovic from winning his fourth French Open title:
#3. Off-form and age:
The Serb turned 37 recently and will become the oldest man to win the French Open title in the Open Era should he go on to achieve that feat. He is not getting any younger and hence, the chances of an upset are still very much in the air.
His younger opponents may have smelt blood, given the Serb’s inability to win a title this year, so far. Djokovic has won only 13 of his 18 matches this season, which is a drop from his lofty standards. His inability to defend the Australian Open, which is his favorite Slam, has also been a big surprise. He found no luck at the Italian Open and lost in the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Hence, one is tempted to think that winning a Grand Slam on clay in his current form might be too much of a task for him.
#2. Best-of-five format on clay being too tedious for Djokovic:
It is a grueling task to win the French Open for any player. Playing the best-of-five format on the slow, red clay of Paris remains one of the most difficult jobs in tennis. If Djokovic is forced to play two, or even three five-setters en route to the semifinal or final, he might find himself completely exhausted on the big day.
The Serb is still supremely fit, and it remains to be seen whether his body can go through the grind of playing clay-court tennis in the best-of-five format at the moment. The odds might be stacked against it.
#1. A hungry Carlos Alcaraz:
Alcaraz will be hungry for some Grand Slam success, which he has not had since beating Djokovic in the Wimbledon final last year. He could have toppled the Serb in the semifinal of the French Open last year, too, but had to give in to cramps after splitting the first two sets with the latter.
Alcaraz will want to win his first slam on clay, which will also be his third overall and will not face the 37-year-old before the final this year.
Since Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev are uncomfortable playing on clay and Stefanos Tsitsipas has a vulnerable backhand, Alcaraz remains the player Djokovic should worry the most about. Rafael Nadal’s injury issues will alleviate the Serb’s concern to an extent, but the threat posed by another Spaniard looms large over him.