Former world No 1 Novak Djokovic will play either Budapest or Barcelona next week as he looks to step up his court sharpness ahead of the French Open.
Djokovic, playing just his ninth tour match in as many months, was knocked out of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday after suffering a third-round defeat by Dominic Thiem.
Unsurprisingly the Serb said that he will play in either Budapest or Barcelona as a wildcard as he continues his return from a right elbow injury.
“Ideally I’d want to be playing the way I played for so many years,” Djokovic said during a press conference. “But obviously patience is required, trust in the process, believing in myself, in my game, people around me.
Djokovic will continue working with long-time former coach Marian Vajda until the end of the clay-court season after linking up with the Slovak again for the first time in almost a year.
“I’m feeling like it’s been getting better every day,” Djokovic added after losing 6-7 (2-7) 6-2 6-3 to Thiem. “I’ve had three matches here. I didn’t expect anything. I played without pain in the elbow, which is important. I have my coach Marian back in the box. So lots of good things.
“It was a lot of positives in this tournament. Three matches played.”
The 30-year-old admitted that he is still finding his way back to full fitness, but admitted that he is playing pain-free for the first time in two years.
“With the elbow, it’s been quite a story over the last two and a half years,” he said. “I’ve done, with people around me, everything in our power to get my elbow in the best possible shape. I’m really happy with the way things are working out right now with the elbow. That’s all I can say.”
