April 6, (THEWILL)- Novak Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked tennis player, has admitted that he is not expecting too much from his clay game as he prepares to compete in the upcoming Monte Carlo Masters tournament, which is set to commence on Sunday.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion, who made an early exit from the Indian Wells hardcourts last month and did not participate in the Miami Open, recently had a training session at the Monte Carlo Country Club venue with his fill-in coach, Nenad Zimonjic.
Djokovic was quick to emphasise that the arrangement with Zimonjic is strictly temporary, following his recent split from his longtime mentor, Goran Ivanisevic. The Serb stated that his primary focus is on building his clay game for the upcoming French Open at Roland Garros.
“The expectations are not very high,” the 36-year-old said, adding: “My results here in previous years (titles in 2013 and 2015) are not great. It’s all about building my game for clay courts. I want to reach my peak for Paris – that’s where I want to play my best tennis.”
Djokovic also shed some light on his surprise split from Ivanisevic, with whom he had won 12 Grand Slam singles titles. “We felt we gave each other the maximum, it was time to move on – it’s pretty simple,” he said. The Serb added that he will put in the work to prepare for the upcoming Summer Olympic tournament, which will be held in late July at Roland Garros.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
