Djokovic reveals he has “low expectations” on the Monte Carlo clay

The Monte Carlo Masters’ main draw has begun and the best players in the world are looking to get used to the new surface and go as far as possible in the third Masters 1000 event of the season.

Although Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will get lots of attention, many eyes will be on Novak Djokovic, as he returns to the competition. The Serb didn’t play the Miami Open to spend more time with his family and to prepare the transition from hard to clay courts.

During this period, the 24-time major winner parted ways with his coach and former player Goran Ivanisevic and brought in Nenad Zimonjic.

Djokovic, the oldest No. 1 in the ATP rankings history at 36 years and 321 days old, will be looking to go as far as possible in Monte Carlo but admitted he’s not very optimistic, considering his defeats in the United Cup, Australian Open and Indian Wells:

“My expectations are not very high, with the way I have been playing this year at the tournaments and also the results that I had in Monaco in previous years were not great, so I keep my expectations low.”

“For me, it is about building my game on clay courts and trying to reach the peak again. For some players like myself, it requires a little more time to reach the top level of tennis. Earlier in my career I was doing better in Monte Carlo. I won titles in 2013 and 2015, quite a long time ago. The last five or six editions here have not been that successful and I am always hoping that could change,” he added.

Djokovic is already thinking about the Olympics

What seems a sure thing is that Nole’s big objective on clay will be the French Open, where he will try to defend last year’s title. However, his main motivation will probably be the Olympic Games, as he has never won a gold medal, and this will likely be his last chance to try to accomplish that feat.

“The Paris Olympics are very important. The Olympics have always been a priority for me”, he revealed.

“But in the last three or four Olympics, it hasn’t been been possible for me to reach the later stages. The situation is a bit different now. We are playing our first Olympics on clay. I want to be ready physically and mentally”, he explained.

His former coach Ivanisevic believes that Djokovic will be in top form and very motivated to become champion in the Summer Olympics:

“I believe that Novak will find motivation, I am sure of it. I wish him Olympic gold with all my heart, even more than the Slams. It’s something that he wants, he feels like he owes it to someone, although he doesn’t owe anyone anything… I wish for him to succeed in the Olympics”.

The Serb won the bronze at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing but didn’t clinch the gold medal in the following editions.