Viktor Troicki revealed Novak Djokovic is prioritising the Olympics over the French Open this year.
Djokovic began his quest for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title - his fourth on clay - at Roland-Garros on Tuesday. The world No.1 defended his French Open crown against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, beating the Frenchman 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in the first round.
Yet the Serbian legend’s form for the majority of this year has been less than impressive. He is yet to win a trophy - a stark contrast to the three Grand Slams he claimed in 2023.
With his next match coming against Roberto Carballes Baena on Thursday, Djokovic’s close friend and former team-mate Troicki made an eye-opening revelation about ‘Nole’s’ priorities.
Troicki believes Djokovic can use the French Open to find form, but emphasized that the 37-year-old is really gunning for success at the 2024 Paris Olympics, also held at Roland-Garros. Speaking to Sportal ahead of the tournament, Troicki said: "He is not currently the Nole we are used to.
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"But in Paris, at the Grand Slam, everything can turn around. In the last five years, his focus has been on the Grand Slams. I think the Olympics are his priority this year, but again he wants to show that he cares about playing well at the Slams.
"I hope that he will repeat the history of previous years when he came in shy and without self-confidence, which he gained through matches, built his form and eventually won tournaments. We didn't even expect him to win the Garros last year but he did."
Novak Djokovic will return to Roland-Garros for the Olympics ((Image: Getty))The Olympics kick off on July 26 and conclude on August 11. It remains to be seen how seriously Djokovic takes Wimbledon, which runs from July 1 to July 14, with the potential risk of sustaining an injury so close to his Olympic dream.
The Serb won bronze at the Beijing 2008 Olympics but has struggled to achieve success in his subsequent three Games, failing to make it to the finals each time.
A frustrated Djokovic admitted last month: "The Paris Olympics are very important - the Olympics have always been a priority for me. But in the last three or four Olympics, it's not been possible for me to reach the later stages."
Viktor Troicki [R] is a close friend of Djokovic ((Image: Getty))Highlighting his compatriot’s poor form, Troicki added: "The biggest problem with him right now, in my opinion, is motivation. In fact, it's not even motivation, but that fire in him, the bite, but I believe that can change here in Paris, and especially at Wimbledon where he will be the biggest favourite for the title.
"He is a favourite there because of his natural game on grass. In Paris, he may not be the favourite at the moment, he is in the top two or three. But as far as Wimbledon is concerned, he is definitely, in my opinion, the first pick for the cup. Again, I believe in him at Garros because he can always come back and he can always win."
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