“It wasn’t part of the calendar. The plan was to come here. That’s it,” Novak Djokovic said when asked in Rome why he hadn’t played in Madrid. In the Italian capital, the Serbian will compete again for the first time since his defeat in the Monte Carlo semifinals against the Norwegian Ruud.
He will do it this Friday (7:00 p.m., M+) against the unpredictable Corentin Moutet, a 25-year-old Frenchman and 83rd in the world, who on Thursday won in the first round against the Russian Safiullin (6-7 (3), 7-5 and 7- 6 (7)) after being refished from the previous one. A dangerous rival due to his eccentricities on the court (in Córdoba he ordered Coca Cola and in Madrid a coffee).
“I had a lot of time to rest and train. I think I’m on a good path to reach the top at Roland Garros in Paris. I hope I can play better here than in Monte Carlo. That is the desire, obviously, to always go far,” said Djokovic at the media day, before his debut against a Moutet whom he beat in their only previous confrontation, Paris-Bercy 2019.
The Balkan has recovered his former physical trainer, Gebhard Gritsch, and, for now, he is very satisfied: “Let’s hope it translates into results.”
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