Novak Djokovic has told Sky Sports his priority working with Andy Murray as his coach is to peak for the French Open and Wimbledon, following a disappointing couple of months.
The 37-year-old will play at the Madrid Open this week for the first time since 2022, live on Sky Sports Tennis, looking to rebound from a shock opening-round exit in Monte-Carlo earlier this month to Alejandro Tabilo.
That defeat followed a loss in the Miami Open final to Jakub Mensik, denying Djokovic a chance at securing his 100th tour-level title.
The 40-time ATP Masters 1000 champion remains on the brink of joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) in the history books, but admitted his priority after performances in recent years is to peak for the Grand Slams.
“The priority is obviously trying to take the level of tennis that currently is maybe not where we want it to be to the higher level, so that I can peak at French Open,” Djokovic told Sky Sports in Madrid.
“That’s where I really want to play my best tennis, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
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Highlights from Djokovic’s clash against Alejandro Tabilo at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where the 37-year-old was defeated in his opening match of the clay-court season
“Of course, we’re in Madrid, we came in early. We’re putting in a lot of hours in the court and in the gym, trying to perfect the body and the game and basically every aspect of my game to be a few per cent better than it was in the previous weeks.
“If I can reach that desired level this tournament, that would be amazing. I don’t have really high expectations and I really hope I can get through the first hurdle and then we’ll take it from there.”
Britain’s Murray has formed part of Djokovic’s coaching team since November, with the Serbian revealing the Scot plays a major role in managing his motivation for training, and that both are happy with the arrangement at the moment.
“The priority for us is always trying to approach the training session with the right kind of mentality – it’s not always easy,” Djokovic added.
“Some days I feel excited and really motivated, some days less. He [Murray] as a coach also has to manage that, which is not always easy.
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Highlights of Jakub Mensik against Djokovic from the final of the Miami Open
“Then it’s obviously about specific elements in the game with certain shots that are happening in a certain pattern for days or weeks already.
“It’s really a combination of things, I would say. As we are coming closer and closer to the first match, we’re working on more of the specifics to fine tune the game. To be ready to play points and matches, not just from the game standpoint but also mentally and emotionally.
“The first four or five days of being here was more about the physical aspect of trying to build the endurance and strength and get a feel for the different conditions that are here.
Murray has formed part of Djokovic’s coaching team since late November
“It’s high altitude, so the ball is flying and it takes some time to get used to it. Things are going in the right direction. Obviously, that it’s not a guarantee that I’ll play very well in the match, but we’re generally happy with where we’re going.”
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