As he’s getting older, Novak Djokovic is participating in fewer tournaments. Over the past several years, the Serbian has been partaking in merely ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and the Grand Slam. Hence, the news of Djokovic accepting the Gonet Geneva Open wild card entry was celebrated by tennis enthusiasts. On the contrary, playing in Switzerland is actually a matter of concern.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner suiting up for the ATP 250 level event took the fans by surprise. However, the decision was a pretty smart one, considering the subpar form the 36-year-old has been in. Apart from a 12-5 YTD (worst start to the season since becoming World No.1), Djokovic suffered a shocking third-round loss against Alejandro Tabilo at the Italian Open 2024.
Entering the French Open 2024 with merely 12 wins all season long won’t be motivating for the Djoker. By participating in the Geneva Open, Djokovic could possibly lift the title and get his morale back up. While a huge majority believes that getting some more matches under his belt before the Grand Slam is a great idea, a larger group of naysayers criticized him for the same.
Champions mindset, one step back to move 2 forward…
— Paladin77 (@AL881977) May 17, 2024
He’s finally found his level. Playing 250’s
— Bruno Fernandes enjoyer (@Nadal_istheGOAT) May 17, 2024
Novak isn’t afraid of trying new things. That’s what I love about him. Novak knows he needs more matches on clay. Geneva is a good clay court tournament.
— OrvilleLloydDouglas️ (@OrvilleLloyd) May 17, 2024
Time to vulture 250
— Agödi NIKLAUS (@Shakur_Dml) May 17, 2024
Having sustained losses against players outside the top 25 will hurt Djokovic’s confidence. With a great bunch – Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton – also participating, a potential first ATP 250 title win in over a year could ignite a spark and help Djoko find his rhythm in time for the Roland Garros. Andy Roddick is among the many esteemed personalities to laud him for the same.
Andy Roddick praises Novak Djokovic for participating in the Geneva Open
The tennis world had strong opinions about Novak Djokovic “stooping down” to participate in the ATP 250 event. But, Andy Roddick backed the Belgrade native’s decision. While the American was understandably “shocked” by the news, he agrees that getting more match experience on the dirt could result in a better result at the Court Philippe-Chatrier.
“I like the move and I’m also shocked by it.
Sometimes you need some reps and some real reps, right? You can feel great in practice, you can’t mimic that. So I think it’s the right move,” Roddick said on the ‘Tennis Channel Live’ podcast, per Tennis 365.
Djokovic could’ve played long-time rival Andy Murray in his opening-round clash had it not been for Yannick Hanfmann. Following a win over the German and potentially Federico Coria in the third round, Djoko is projected to play Taylor Fritz and Casper Ruud in the semifinals and finals, respectively.
