After making those early exits in Monte Carlo and Madrid, it seems that Novak Djokovic is definitely getting some pressure in his game at this point as he is still yet to bag a tournament win in over a year and a half. At this point, his best chance for a promising comeback on the clay courts would be the French Open later in the month.

By the high standards of the Serbian maestro, it cannot be denied that this has been quite a disappointing year so far. At the age of 37, Djokovic has suffered multiple early exits in his last two clay runs, and even skipped out on the Italian Open – where he has won six titles and could have been a favorite to look out for.

But as the season continues, it seems that Djokovic is not opting for the scorching-hot environment in Spain and Italy for now. But after accepting the wild card entry for the Geneva Open – another clay court tournament – it does seem that Djokovic is preparing well for a comeback in the next big tournament at hand, the Roland Garros.

The Chase for the 25th Grand Slam Title

While there was no official statement from Djokovic as to why he opted to skip the Italian Open, the Serbian star did make it clear that he would be participating in the low-stakes Geneva Open. This is a chance to familiarize himself with the red dirt grounds after losing out on his first two runs this season on the same surface.

In a season filled with a lot of new challenges and unfamiliar struggles, much has been questioned about the consistency of one of the tennis greats. Nothing has been the same for him ever since both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have moved on from the game. He did initially manage to try to stay at a top for a few years, but now has faltered in his games.

“I was hoping I can play one more match than I played in Monte-Carlo. [It’s] kind of a new reality for me, I have to say,” Djokovic said after his 6-3, 6-4 loss to Arnaldi. “Trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament… It's a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis.

It can be remembered that Djokovic came so close to claiming his 100th tour-level title in Miami before losing to Jakub Mensik in the championship match. Nothing has been easy for the Serbian star so far.

A Patchy Season for Djokovic

This has been an up-and-down season for the Serbian star. Djokovic started out on a better groove this year than he did in 2024, reaching the semis of the Australian Open before pulling out due to an injury. Since then, Djokovic has lost three matches in a row on his comeback before that massive run in the Miami Open, where he nearly capped off a huge campaign.

Still, Djokovic has won 12 of his 19 matches so far, but he is yet to bring a title home and could have easily earned those in the big tournaments where he almost won.

The ATP 250 event will begin this May 18th, and the French Open is not that far away as it begins this May 25th. This is a perfect chance for Djokovic to come back strong if he wants to win it all now more than ever.