Novak Djokovic will begin his French Open title defence against French wildcard Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
The world number one certainly has it easy compared to the likes of fellow legend Rafael Nadal, who is preparing for his final appearance at Roland Garros.
The Spaniard has it all do from the very first round, having been drawn against German fourth seed Alexander Zverev.
Nadal is certainly not in his best form going into the tournament, but the same can be said of Djokovic, who hasn’t won a title this season.
The Serbian could, however, end his drought right before heading to France, having just clinched a spot in the Geneva Open semi-finals.
Jessica Pegula predicts successful Novak Djokovic defence
While Nadal is the master on clay, Djokovic has proven time and again that he is more than capable of being successful on the surface.
World number five Jessica Pegula certainly isn’t ruling out a strong run from the Serbian at the upcoming French Open.
“We don’t really talk about him as a clay courter, but he has won the French several times,” Pegula said on The French Connection.
“Three out of five at a slam, I feel like he still has the ability to be the greatest and switch on this mode which nobody else can really challenge him – well maybe a few guys, a Sinner and maybe even a Zverev now.
“I think he is still going to do well. I don’t know if he’s going to win but I don’t know how you can really go against him.
“I’ve seen him before not play that much and then he pops into a slam and beating him three out of five is totally different to beating him two out of three.
“That helps him. And then if he’s able to get confident, he’s already confident, he’ll need one match and be like ‘okay Novak is back’. I don’t know how you can really go against him.”
Having then been asked who will win this season’s Roland Garros men’s title, Pegula went with Djokovic.
How has Novak Djokovic done in 2024 so far?
Djokovic failed miserably in the recent Italian Open, suffering a disappointing round of 32 exit in the capital.
But as mentioned, he has enjoyed a more successful run in Switzerland in preparation for Roland Garros, beating Tallon Griekspoor to advance to the last four.
Overall in 2024, Djokovic has 12 victories and five losses, with one of the defeats coming against Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open.
The Serb fell at the semi-final stage in Melbourne in January, with his Italian opponent going on to win his first major.
Sinner will be keen to add another title to his honours list in France, with his upcoming presence at the tournament confirmed following a major injury concern.
Djokovic meanwhile will soon switch his focus to Roland Garros, with his and Nadal’s potential route to the French Open final now marked out.
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