Novak Djokovic will kick off his 2024 French Open campaign with “low expectations and high hopes”, but the tennis great insists “anything but a title for me is not satisfactory”.
The world No 1 has had a troubled season so far as he is yet to win a trophy or even reach a final and he will start his title defence in Paris with an overall 14-6 win-loss record.
He is 6-3 on clay with his most recent defeat coming against Tomas Machac in the semi-final of the Geneva Open on Friday.
Those statistics don’t really inspire confidence and the 24-time Grand Slam winner admitted as much during his pre-tournament press conference.
“Low expectations and high hopes,” he replied when asked about his feelings ahead of this year’s tournament.
But that doesn’t mean he has lowered his standards in terms of winning the title as he insisted his main goal is to “write more history”.
“It’s tough to talk about; it’s very subjective,” Djokovic added.
“I almost feel a bit embarrassed to say what my expectations are. Anything but a title for me is not satisfactory, so it always has been like that. I know it might sound arrogant to a lot of people, but I think I have the career that backs it up.
“In a way, me playing still at this highest level, one of the major reasons is trying to write more history of the sport and win the biggest titles. Paris is definitely one of them.
“So that’s why my hopes and goals are always the same, but I have to lower the expectations. When I say that I mean, maybe not thinking too much ahead in advance in terms of the tournament and who I might face in the later rounds, but really taking it day by day, step by step, and really building my game. Because that’s what I have really been struggling with, not really playing at a consistently good level.”
This is not the first time that Djokovic has started Roland Garros with question marks over his form as in 2018 he struggled with an arm injury and had to wait until Wimbledon in July for his first title.
Djokovic is also the master when it comes to hitting peak form at the right time.
“I know what I’m capable of, and particularly in the Grand Slams I normally play the best tennis, at least I aim always to play the best tennis, and I was most of my career able to do that, so that’s the goal,” he explained.
“I have been saying for quite a while that in terms of clay I want to peak here in Paris, in Roland Garros. Last year I had an amazing year, and particularly here in Roland Garros, and hopefully I can have a great tournament.”
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