"Play a couple of games, win against good players, and then it will all get better quickly" - Rublev on how Novak Djokovic can rediscover his best form

The World No. 1 in action against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Novak Djokovic has had a difficult 2022 season so far, with the World No. 1 unable to play in tournaments consistently due to his unvaccinated status.

Novak Djokovic was unable to defend his title in Australia due to his visa controversy Down Under. The Serb also missed out on the Sunshine Double in the US due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19. Djokovic recently competed at the Serbia Open, where he reached the final.

Djokovic lost to Rublev in the final of the Serbia Open this year and has struggled for form after a stop-start season he has endured thus far. Rublev, speaking in an interview with championhat, said he understood the difficulty Djokovic is going through at the moment.

"It has nothing to do with the feeling of the ball or physics at all. It's more psychological. When you're under pressure, you don't know if you'll be able to play at all or not. Then the Covid rules are abruptly abolished, you understand that there will be an opportunity to play the season."

Rublev continued, adding that the lack of competitive action led to Djokovic having no rhythm and that playing more matches will help the Serb.

"If you start playing at the first tournament in the UAE, Monte Carlo at No. 1, then expectations are high. But you didn't play, there's no rhythm — it gets lost quickly. I'm sure when he's training, it's perfect to catch the confidence for a match. Play a couple of games, win against good players, and then it will all get better quickly."

A point that ONLY Novak Djokovic can win
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"There are some moments that remained in my head" - Andrey Rublev on his win against Novak Djokovic in Belgrade

Novak Djokovic in action at the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

Both Djokovic and Rublev had flashes of brilliance and poor form in the match. Rublev played pretty well to win the first set but dropped his level in the second against a resurgent Djokovic. The Russian said that while he did not remember any specific moments from the match itself, he acknowledged that it was a "cool week".

"It depends in what format. If it's just a flashback that it was a cool week, then yes. There are some moments that remained in my head. It is to think or remember, to scroll through in your head, what happened to win in the final against Novak - there is no such thing."

"Belgrade and Serbia love you. Please come back to defend your title."

🇷🇸 @DjokerNole @AndreyRublev97 #SerbiaOpen https://t.co/ClKDv4pCUb

Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev will next participate in the Madrid Masters, starting on May 1.