Novak Djokovic was quick to rule out playing another tournament ahead of the French Open after his shock defeat against Dino Prizmic at the Italian Open, but former British No 1 Greg Rusedski suggests that may be a mistake.
Djokovic looks set to head into the second Grand Slam of 2026 with just one clay court match under his belt, with his three set defeat against Prizmic throwing up concerns over his form and fitness.
The Serbian confirmed after the match that he was dealing with ongoing injury issues and that is hardly surprising, as he is not playing many matches and is battling against the sands of time as he prepares to celebrate his 39th birthday later this month.
“I came in to have a match or more,” said Djokovic. “Unfortunately, only a match. It’s all right. I’m pleased at least that I fought till the end.
“It’s not an ideal preparation, to be honest. I don’t recall last time I had in the last couple years a preparation where I didn’t have any kind of physical issues or health issues coming into the tournament. There’s always something. Kind of a new reality that I have to deal with.
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“It is frustrating. At the same time, it’s my decision to still perform in that kind of state and those conditions. It is what it is.”
Djokovic played a warm-up tournament the week before the French Open last year, as he won the title in Geneva and then went on to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros.
With the 24-time Grand Slam-winning legend keen to ensure he is as fit as he can be for the major championships, he is playing an increasingly limited schedule.
Yet Rusedski, who is currently coaching French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, believes Djokovic should consider getting more matches in ahead of Roland Garros.
“If I was on Novak’s team, I would try to convince him to play next week because he needs the matchplay,” said Rusedski, who was speaking on the latest edition of his podcast, that will be released on Monday.
“Last year, he made the semis in Paris after playing the week before, but you can’t question Novak. He finds solutions and he finds ways.”
Rusedski also discussed Djokovic’s defeat against Prizmic, as he argued it was a nightmare draw.
“So for Novak, that was a brutal first round because Prizmic was a former world number one junior,” he added.
“He’s had a lot of injuries we talked about, but the last four months he’s been healthy and that’s been the key.
“Novak played a very good first set. He’s been practicing putting in the hours, but it’s different when you come to play a match.
“Then in the second and third set, he looked at times he was getting a little tired because he hasn’t played since the American swing and that’s a long time to be away.
“You’ve got to have that match play, and then you’ve got to have periods where you have time off to work on your game to get better.”
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