Novak Djokovic’s clay-court campaign was blighted by injuries, as he failed to make a deep run at the French Open.
However, Andy Roddick believes the grass-court swing could be the Serb’s best opportunity yet to win a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Andy Roddick Discusses Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon Chances
After making the final at the Australian Open and suffering a third-round exit at Roland-Garros, Djokovic is looking forward to competing at Wimbledon. The 39-year-old, who is already a seven-time champion at SW19, shared his excitement about playing on grass at the Barcelona GP on Sunday.
“Yes, it (the preparation) is fine. I can’t wait to play on grass; you run less than on clay,” he said.
Roddick has now weighed in on Djokovic’s chances of ending his Grand Slam drought at Wimbledon. The former American tennis star believes that the grass-court conditions should suit Djokovic better after a difficult clay-court campaign.
“You can hit yourself out of trouble more than any other surface. If I’m Novak, I don’t know that we’ll find an analyst that doesn’t think Wimbledon is his best shot,” Roddick said on the latest episode of his “Served” podcast.
Roddick also claimed that the absence of Carlos Alcaraz due to injury and the uncertainty surrounding Jannik Sinner’s form and fitness should boost Djokovic’s chances.
“Especially without Carlos Alcaraz and with question marks about Jannik Sinner. This is a real shot. I don’t hate that he didn’t make the semifinals at Roland-Garros. I guarantee you, he knows this is a shot. He’s taking a picture of the landscape of tennis. Obviously, Sinner is still going to be Sinner… If I’m in Team Novak, I can convince myself of that reality pretty easily,” he added.
Djokovic won only 2 of his 4 matches during the clay-court swing, losing to João Fonseca in five sets in the third round of the French Open. He did make the final at the Australian Open, defeating Sinner in five sets before losing to Alcaraz in four sets.
In recent years, the Serb has prioritized Grand Slams and played in fewer ATP Tour tournaments. That strategy did not quite pay off for him during the clay-court swing, as he played only one match before the French Open and looked off his game from the start.
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Novak Djokovic has decided not to play in any warm-up tournaments ahead of Wimbledon and will rely on his experience and know-how to adjust to the grass-court conditions. He made the semifinals at Wimbledon last year, losing to eventual champion Sinner in straight sets.
