Djokovic was upset by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round of the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters last week. The World No. 1 revealed in his post-match press conference that he “ran out of gas completely” in the third set.
The 34-year-old was competing for the first time since losing to Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.
Djokovic is currently in action against countryman Laslo Djere in the second round of the 2022 Serbia Open, an ATP 250 tournament.
Speaking to Eurosport, two-time Roland Garros runner-up Corretja stressed the importance of Djokovic gaining match practice to rediscover his rhythm.
The Spaniard then declared that the defending French Open champion will need to get stronger physically to be ready to contend in Paris this year.
“Clay - even though he is an unbelievable player on it - is not his natural surface” - Alex Corretja on Novak Djokovic
Alex Corretja also referenced the difficult start to 2022 Novak Djokovic has experienced, alluding to his COVID-19 vaccination status preventing him from competing regularly. The Spaniard also assessed why clay can be a challenging surface for the Serb when he is short on matches.
Djokovic is a two-time French Open champion, having claimed the Paris crown in 2016 and 2021. The 34-year-old’s triumph in last year’s Roland Garros final made him the first man in the Open Era to complete the Double Career Grand Slam.
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