How does dropping to world number 3 complicate Novak Djokovic chances at French Open 2023?

Novak Djokovic has hurdles to beat for a third triumph at the Parisian clay.

How does dropping to world number 3 complicate Novak Djokovic chances at French Open 2023?

Novak Djokovic (Credits: Tennis World)

Despite the greatest champion of the tournament, Rafael Nadal withdrawing due to a hip injury, the chances of the Serbian World No.3 Novak Djokovic don’t look promising in this year’s French Open. This is considering the form of young guns and how dropping to rank three will affect his chances at the tournament.

The Spanish great Rafael Nadal has stopped Djokovic 8 times at the Parisian Dirt. With his absence, two times champion Novak Djokovic is still not the sole favorite for his third triumph here. The main setback the Serbian will have to face is that he might need to face Carlos Alcaraz, the World No.1 and someone who has a winning record of 1-0 against him before the final itself. His ranking of 3 is a double-edged sword considering the fact that he has a 50% chance of facing World No.2 and a comparatively easier opponent on clay- Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals, according to the rankings.

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Djokovic’s chances also depend on whom he faces in the quarter-finals. Usually, being lucky enough in the draws, he might be able to dodge Holger Rune, the Danish world number 6, in the quarter-finals. The Danish wunderkind has a 2-1 record against the Serbian, including the win in the quarter-finals of Rome Open 2023 last week.

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Novak Djokovic’s poor clay run this season

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

With his back-to-back disappointing performances in Monte-Carlo and Banja Luka, the Serb withdrew from the Madrid Open. He was expecting a major breakthrough in Rome, but he has failed to live up to the expectation with this loss against Holger Rune.

With Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal, the upcoming French Open will be wide open this season. In the Rome Masters, the Serbian looked dialed in until the quarter-final. After winning the first round against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, he went on to defeat Grigor Dimitrov in the best three-sets match (6-3, 4-6, 6-1). In the third round of Rome, Djokovic outperformed the British player, Cameron Norrie, in straight sets (6-3, 6-4).

The devastated Serbian will be looking to regain his best form in the Parisian Clay, irrespective of the poor results in the clay court tournaments. The fans expect the same since the Serbian has proved enough times that he can come back strong after each setback.

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