"Never been more question marks about Novak Djokovic in the last 15 years going into a Slam" - Andy Roddick on Serb's French Open 2024 chances

Andy Roddick has assessed Novak Djokovic's chances of winning the 2024 French Open. The Serb, despite being the defending French Open champion, is heading into the year's second Grand Slam not at his best.

The first signs of Djokovic's recent struggles came to light during his semifinal clash against Jannik Sinner earlier this year at the Australian Open. The 24-time Grand Slam champion looked worn out for the most part of the match. Although he did try and mount a comeback against the eventual Australian Open champion, it was not enough to get him over the line.

At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the Serb was stunned by 20-year-old Luca Nardi in the third round. Next, at the Monte-Carlo Masters, a resurgent Djokovic reached the semifinals, but was ousted at this point by Casper Ruud. Most recently, at the Italian Open, the ATP World No. 1 faced another humiliating third-round exit at the hands of Alejandro Tabilo.

Following his loss to Tabilo, Djokovic said that being hit in the head by a stray bottle that fell from a spectator's backpack after his second-round win in Rome may have had a part to play in his dismal performance. The Serb later underwent scans and reportedly, the results showed no significant damage.

Recently, Andy Roddick assessed Djokovic's prospects at the 2024 French Open in an episode of the Served With Andy Roddick podcast. According to the 2003 US Open champion, it would not be a shock if Djokovic struggled across the first few rounds if he gets a challenging draw.

"Would it shock you if Novak had a rough draw (at the 2024 French Open) and struggled in the first couple of rounds? He is, better or worse, and I know everyone's going to yell at me and I can't wait for you guys to tell me I'm full of s**t and how much better he is than me, and I get it. I fully understand that," Roddick said.

Roddick also said this was the first time in "15 years" that there were so many "question marks" over the Serb's form and fitness ahead of a Grand Slam. The former ATP World No. 1 also believe that tennis fans who are dismissive of the Serb's struggles are in "denial".

"There have never been more question marks about him in the last 15 years going into a Slam. Not if he can win, Iike, he could win. He could still win the tournament, but he is trying to find something on a tennis court right now for the first time in a long time. And if you disagree with that, your head is in the sand. Like, that's just denial," Roddick added.

"This one was weird, I thought Novak Djokovic would ramp up" - Andy Roddick

Novak Djokovic in action during his third-round loss to Alejandro Tabilo at the 2024 Italian Open

Earlier in the same episode, Roddick expressed surprise at Djokovic's form going into the French Open.

The 41-year-old's surprise stemmed from the Serb's repeated admissions previously that he would be gunning for more glory this year, particularly at the Paris Olympics. The Olympic Gold is the only major achievement that has evaded Djokovic so far.

"This one was weird, I thought he’d ramp up. You’re looking at the French Open, at Wimbledon, he said he’s prioritized the Olympics, you felt like the ramp-up was coming, that wasn’t a ramp-up," Roddick said, referring to Djokovic's form in the build-up to the French Open.

Main draw matches at this year's French Open are slated to begin on Sunday, May 26.