Novak Djokovic, the 2o times Grand Slam champion, is all set to step into the grass courts of the Wimbledon Championship. He recently gave a splendid performance in the clay-court season. However, if one compares the potential he harbors to the amount he showcased in this season’s red dirt, it will be clear that Djokovic couldn’t live up to the standards he only set for himself.
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Therefore, fans hoped to see him practice more before his run in Wimbledon started. And one of the most prominent ways of practicing is taking part in the events of grass before the major begins. However, the Serb has ruled out that option as he will not be present in any tournaments prior to the Grand Slam.
Novak Djokovic will not play till Wimbledon
Djokovic has declared that he will be directly playing in the Wimbledon championship. Before that, he isn’t going to participate in any ATP event of grass surface. As his coach said, “Probably nothing (before Wimbledon). We will see more, but now is the time to recover mentally. As I said before, people like Novak are geniuses with a different way of thinking.”
Novak #Djokovic won't play any leadup events before #Wimbledon. He is in Montenegro at the moment, will fly to London directly.
Novak neće igrati pre Vimbldona https://t.co/Ak9Do4FRHH
— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) June 9, 2022
“They need a little time to come back and put some things together in their head, but it still takes time. Then that’s it, and he has experienced disappointments before. I know he will be ready for the grass,” he added.
The Serb has already missed the ongoing ATP 250 event in Germany. Though, except Andy Murray, none of the big four players are in the Stuttgart Open.
Further, with Roger Federer not present and bleak chances of Nadal playing, Djokovic is one of the most capable contenders for this year’s Grand Slam. Therefore the chances of the defending champion securing a consecutive win in the tournament are very high.
How Djokovic has fared in the clay
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After walking out of the Australian Open, the 35-year-old gave a brief appearance in the Dubai International Championship and missed the entire hard court season. Thereafter, he enrolled himself in the Monte Carlo Masters, the first clay-based tournament of the year.
At Monte Carlo Open, the World No.1 had to pack his bags after the very first round. But following that, he made a run till the finals of the Serbian Open and lost the title against the Russian tennis ace Andrey Rublev. Even though he failed to mark the title under his name, he for sure succeeded in sharpening his skills. As Djokovic fought till the semifinals of the next, ATP 1000 event in Madrid.
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Thereafter, Novak claimed the title in Rome. He defeated the world no.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas to clinch his first trophy of this season. Later, he lost the battle of defending his crown in the quarterfinals of the French Open against the eventual winner, Rafael Nadal.