Djokovic targets French Open glory as clay court swing begins in Monte Carlo

NEW DELHI: As Novak Djokovic set to make his competitive return in Monte Carlo after a month-long break, the world no 1 has said that he wants to “peak in Paris” as Roland Garros is his ultimate goal on the clay.

Djokovic had a stunning start to the 2023 season, winning in Adelaide, claiming the Australian Open title and reaching the semifinals in Dubai.

The World No. 1 has not competed since he reached the semifinals in Dubai in early March as he was forced to miss the Sunshine swing — Indian Wells and Miami Open — both ATP 1000 masters events, after he was denied entry to the United States over his vaccination status.

“I have to say, it’s in the back of my mind, as an ultimate goal on clay. I really want to be able to build my form so I can peak in Paris,” Djokovic told Eurosport.

“It’s still a long way. The clay-court season is quite long, you have pretty much every week some strong events and tournaments. Hopefully, I can start the clay season here in a positive way.

I’m mainly focused on what I can deliver here and then of course moving into different weeks. But of course, Roland-Garros is an ultimate goal.” he added.

The Serbian great has not had much success in Monte Carlo in the past two years and suffered an opening-round exit last year. However, he has tasted wins at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event in 2013 and 2015.

The 35-year-old is having a home advantage during the tournament, as he lives in Monaco with his family and uses the Monte-Carlo Country Club as his training base.

“We know the club very well; it has transformed incredibly during the last couple of weeks. Normally, throughout the year we don’t see the stands with this many people for practice sessions, but we do train with each other.

It’s great to sleep in your own bed, on your own pillow. It’s normally not like that, you’re always travelling around. It’s nice to have the family also, of course, it brings you some peace of mind when you’re off-site and you can recharge your batteries, come here and put your competitive face on and try to deliver your best,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion said.

Djokovic has been given a bye to the second round in Monte-Carlo, where he will face qualifier Ivan Ghakov. IANS

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