Novak Djokovic says if he thinks he is one of the favorites for Roland Garros after losing to Matteo Arnaldi in Madrid

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Novak Djokovic has continued his relatively poor form after losing his opening match at the Madrid Open to Matteo Arnaldi.

Djokovic lost his only match in Monte Carlo as well, with the Serbian being beaten in his opening match at four of his last five tournaments.

The latest of those came against Arnaldi, but Djokovic claimed Madrid was different to Monte Carlo and some other recent tournaments.

There is now becoming increased concern for Djokovic, who has cast doubt over his future and left question marks over whether he will ever play at the Madrid Open again.

Novak Djokovic says if he is one of the favorites for Roland Garros

Grand Slam titles are Djokovic’s priority, which is something that the 37-year-old has been very clear about over recent years.

The upcoming major is Roland Garros, where Djokovic is a three-time champion, and he spoke in his post-match press conference about where he sees himself in the pecking order.

While admitting he still feels the same every time he steps out on court, Djokovic claimed that he is not one of the main favorites to win Roland Garros this year.

“Well, I mean, look, pressure is part of the sport and part of what we do on this highest level, so it’s never going to go away, you know, it’s just different kind of pressure,” explained Djokovic. But every time I step on the court I feel the nerves, I feel stress, I feel everything that I guess all the other players feel, and excitement as well.

“So, still like to compete, it became a bit more challenging for me, to be honest. But of course, as I said, I’ll do my best for the future. Grand Slam, I’m not going into Roland Garros as one of the main favorites. Maybe that can help, I don’t know, we’ll see.”

Last year, Djokovic withdrew from his Roland Garros quarter-final due to a meniscus tear in his right knee that he later underwent surgery on.

What is next for Novak Djokovic?

There is not long until the second major tournament of 2025, where Djokovic will be bidding for a 25th Grand Slam title.

Before then Djokovic is expected to head to Rome, where he is a six-time former champion, with only the now retired Rafael Nadal winning more titles in the Italian capital.

Despite his previous achievements in Rome, Djokovic was stunned at the Italian Open last year, losing in the third round to Alejandro Tabilo, who recently beat him again at the Monte Carlo Masters.

After Djokovic suffered a disappointing result at the Italian Open last year, he made a last-minute decision to play the ATP tournament in Geneva in an attempt to get some more clay court match practise in.

That appeared to somewhat pay off, as he reached the semi-finals in Geneva, before progressing to the quarter-finals of Roland Garros until injury got in the way.

Djokovic and coach Andy Murray will now head to the Italian Open, with main draw action beginning on Wednesday May 7.