ROME (AP) — Novak Djokovic is right where he wants to be after a rocky start to his clay-court season.
He has returned to the Italian Open, the event where he has been most successful on clay.
The Serbian, first in the world ranking, has been a six-time champion in Rome and has reached the final six other times.
“Historically in my career, Rome has always been a very nice tournament for me,” Djokovic said on Thursday. “Hopefully it can serve me again as a great springboard for what is to come in Paris, where I want to have my best game.”
The French Open, the only Grand Slam tournament to be played on clay, begins at the end of this month, and Djokovic hopes to win a third title at Roland Garros, where he has already won in 2016 and 2021.
Djokovic is back after three weeks out with a persistent problem with his right elbow, which has already undergone surgery.
In his previous two tournaments on clay, Djokovic left early.
He fell in the round of 16 in Monte Carlo against Lorenzo Musetti. Dusan Lajovic knocked him out in the quarterfinals of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Open, handing him his first loss to a compatriot in 11 years.
“Everything is fine,” Djokovic said about his elbow. “I mean, there’s always a few things here and there that bother you on this level. It is normal”.
“Also, when you’re not already 25 years old, I guess you experience a little more pain than before,” added the Serb, who will turn 36 the day after this tournament concludes. “It takes a little more time to recover.”
Djokovic, who won the Australian Open at the start of the year, is clearly aiming to show his best at Grand Slam tournaments.
After resting in the first round, Djokovic will open his participation on Friday with a night duel against Tomas Martín Etcheverry, an Argentine tennis player who reached the finals in Santiago de Chile and Houston this year.
Regardless of his result at the Foro Italico, Djokovic will cede first place in the ranking to Spanish Carlos Alcaraz after this contest.
Alcaraz, who has never participated in Rome before, is the second seed and is opposite Djokovic in the draw.
Although they have alternated at the top, this is the first time this year that Djokovic and Alcaraz have participated in the same tournament.
Alcaraz missed the Australian Open due to injury and Djokovic was absent from the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami, since he could not enter the United States because he was not vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Djokovic then missed the Madrid Open with an elbow injury. Alcaraz got the trophy there on Sunday.
“It’s strange that we haven’t been in the same draw since the beginning of the season. Due to the circumstances of both, that did not happen,” Djokovic said. “He has been playing some very impressive tennis, at a great level. He is the player to beat on this surface, without a doubt.
“Of course, it depends on whether (Rafael) Nadal is going to play or not in the French Open, but Alcaraz is one of the favourites.”
Nadal, who owns the record 10 titles in Rome, is not playing this time, as he is still suffering from a hip injury that has left his presence at Roland Garros in doubt.
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Andrew Dampf is on Twitter as https://twitter.com/AndrewDampf