Despite his Geneva Open victory, tennis legend Novak Djokovic is not getting ahead of himself as he embarks on his French Open campaign this week.
The Serb admitted he was “nervous and under stress” ahead of the Geneva Open final as he realised his title run “was one of those rare chances, maybe even one of the last”.
Nine months after he won his 99th career trophy with gold in the singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Djokovic finally claimed his 100th title on the ATP Tour as he came from a set down to defeat Hubert Hurkacz in the final of the ATP 250 event.
He is only the third man to win 100 titles with only Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) ahead of him in the all-time list.
It was his fifth final since the start of the 2024 season as last year he lost against Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon showpiece match and against Jannik Sinner at the Shanghai Masters while in March this year he was beaten by Jakub Mensik at the Miami Open.
So naturally, there were some doubts in his mind with confidence on the low side, but he managed to pass the test in Switzerland.
Up next is the big one on clay, the French Open, a tournament where he reached the quarter-final last year before being forced to withdraw due to injury.
Djokovic hopes everything will now fall into place after his Geneva title.
“I have to be realistic. Considering the last year and a half… I won gold, reached the finals in Wimbledon, Shanghai, and Miami, came close to winning big titles, but the consistency in good performances hasn’t been there,” the 24-time Grand Slam winner is quoted as saying by Sportklub’s Saša Ozmo.
“I’m still searching for the confidence, the level of play and movement needed to win a Slam. That’s what I want the most – it’s the reason I’m still playing, after all.
“Opportunities like this are becoming more and more rare for me – to win any kind of title. That’s why I was especially nervous and under stress on the day of the Geneva final, because this was one of those rare chances, maybe even one of the last.
“I’m glad I broke the ice, for my 100th title. It took almost a year, and at every tournament people kept asking me about it – I put that pressure on myself, so this is definitely a relief. I hope it serves as motivation going into Paris.”
If Djokovic is to win a record-extending 25th major and fourth title in Paris, he will have to come through a difficult path.
The Serbian is seeded sixth at the clay-court Grand Slam and finds himself in the top half of the draw, meaning he could face third seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-final and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-final.
