Since winning the championship at Roland Garos 2016, Djokovic has suffered consecutive defeats in all the major arenas he has participated in. From Wimbledon to the US Open, from the goal of winning gold at the Olympics to defending the championship at the 2017 Australian Open, everything is gone. Consecutive failures have left Djokovic without the world No. 1 position under Murray.
However, over the past year, Nole has gradually returned to positive form and he has also responded to the expectations of fans (NHM) with changes over time.
His form is gradually improving
It is necessary to witness Nole's decline in form as a sadness for those who love the Serbian tennis player. Djokovic once explained his decline in form because he no longer considers tennis as his top priority. However, those are only temporary thoughts during the crisis period of the former world No. 1.
The 30-year-old's form has gradually improved after a series of unforgettable days throughout 2016. This is confirmed through his achievements at Madrid Master and Rome Master - 2 major tournaments on clay ahead of Roland Garos. In Madrid, Djokovic stopped at the Semi-finals when he lost to Nadal - who was in good form and later won the championship. In Rome, having to play 3 matches in 2 days caused Nole to seriously lose his fitness, and had to give up the tennis to young opponent Alexander Zverev in the final match.
Despite the unfortunate defeat against Zverev, what fans see is the Serbian tennis player's desire to play football. The achievements in Madrid or Rome are also undeniable statistics about a tennis monument ready to return to top form.
Determined to "change blood" the coaching staff
What makes Djokovic unable to maintain his form is because his playing mentality is no longer stable, there are too many factors off the field that affect the player's concentration.
One of the important decisions Djokovic has made, towards major changes in the future of his career, is to part ways with the entire coaching staff (BHL) including Coach Marian Vajda, fitness coach Gebhard Phil Gritsch and physiotherapist Miljan Amanovic. In particular, coach Vajda has been with Djokovic since the tennis player became famous.
Nole has attended the Madrid Master and Rome Master alone and after losing to Zverev, the former world No. 1 announced that he would collaborate with legend Andre Agassi to regain his top form. This is considered a wise decision by Nole because Agassi is known as a "special" of tennis like Jose Mourinho in football.
The American legend is the only player in the Open era to have won all singles Grand Slams, the Tennis Masters Cup, the Davis Cup for the US national team, and the Olympic gold medal. In addition to the above great achievements, Agassi is also a tennis player who knows how to maintain his fitness very well when he plays top tennis until he retires at the age of 36. The things Andre Agassi has are all things Djokovic wants to achieve in the future. The combination of Agassi and Djokovic will probably be a new turning point in the Serbian tennis player's career.
Opportunities at Roland Garos
With positive changes from form to changes from his BHL, Novak Djokovic officially sent a "welcome" to his opponents at Roland Garos - The second Grand Slams of the year will officially kick off in Paris on May 28.
However, to successfully defend his championship title, Djokovic had to overcome countless difficulties. The King of Clay Rafael Nadal has returned with an extremely impressive form, Stan Warinka always has the inner strength to create interesting surprises with a series of young faces bringing new winds like Alexander Zverev or Dominic Thiem. The competition for the championship in Paris is predicted to be extremely fierce for Nole.
That said, if he needs a milestone to mark his return, Nole needs to successfully defend his title in the French Open. The journey ahead for the 30-year-old tennis player will be extremely thorny, but it is also a necessary test drug for Nole to regain his class.
