Novak Djokovic fires Rafael Nadal French Open warning as he finally returns to action

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Novak Djokovic is looking forward to getting back out on the court at the Monte-Carlo Masters this week, with the Serb set to compete in just his second event of the year. Djokovic has won the tournament twice before and is set to face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his first match on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old is hoping to defend his French Open title next month and the Monte-Carlo Masters will provide ideal preparation for Djokovic, with both tournaments taking place on clay. And speaking ahead of the Masters, Djokovic fired a warning to rivals like Rafael Nadal, stating that he is “motivated” to “challenge the best players in the world for the biggest titles”.

Speaking at the pre-tournament press conference, Djokovic said: “I still feel motivated to be on the Tour and compete with young guys and try to challenge the best players in the world for the biggest titles. I’m very pleased to be here and Monaco has been home for over ten years.

“I have been eagerly waiting for the moment when I will be out competing again, so this is the best place where I could possibly start. Clay court is the surface on which I grew up in Serbia and played many years only on that surface actually.

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“Historically it hasn’t been my most successful surface, but I have had some big success on clay. [The] Roland Garros win last year is still fresh in my memory, so I try to use that as an inspiration to kick-start the clay-court season [in the] best possible way.

“I understand that I probably won’t be at my best at the beginning of this week. I am still testing my engine, so to say, and building my game, so it will take obviously some time, some matches to really get in the groove and find the competitive play that I really need.”

Should Djokovic successfully defend his French Open title, he would go level with Nadal on 21 career Grand Slam wins. And coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes he has the upper hand at Roland Garros as he is better than the Spaniard on clay.

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In a series of videos on Instagram previewing the clay season, Mouratoglou was full of praise for Djokovic. “If you think about Roland Garros now, you can think that it is the most open for the last 10 to 15 years,” he said.

“If Novak is able to win a lot between the start of the clay season and Roland Garros, then it won’t be that open. Because Novak when he is at his top, even on clay, I think he is the best player in the world. I know it’s weird to say that when you see the number of Roland Garros that Rafa has won. But if you look at the figures, Novak beat Rafa many times on clay.”

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