Novak Djokovic proclaims he's fully fit coming into French Open, sends warning shot to rest of the pack as quest for Slam No. 23 begins

Novak Djokovic could become the first man in tennis history to win 23 Grand Slam titles at the French Open over the next fortnight. Currently tied with Rafael Nadal for the most Majors, the Serb begins his quest against Aleksander Kovacevic on Monday.

Djokovic, however, hasn't had the best time during the clay swing in the lead-up to Roland Garros and has arrived in Paris without a title on the surface this year. Most recently, he lost in the quarterfinals of the Srpska Open and the Italian Open, seemingly struggling with an elbow injury during both fixtures.

Speaking at his pre-tournament press conference ahead of his French Open campaign, though, the World No. 3 put all those doubts to bed, stating that he has no physical worries at the moment. With the Slam record up for grasps, the former World No. 1 was very excited for what lay in store for him, declaring that he was feeling "very good" coming into the Clay Major.

"Well, it's no secret that one of the main reasons I play today and compete in professional tennis is to try to break more records and make more history in tennis. That's extremely motivating and inspiring for me. But as I said, at the same time, you know, things are different than they were 10 years ago in terms of how my body is maybe responding to the schedule. You know, I'm playing season after season," Novak Djokovic said.

"So early in the year I was saying that I put emphasis and priority on the Grand Slams, so I'm feeling good at the moment. I don't have any physical issues that worry me. So that's most important for me. You know, I want to feel good coming into a Grand Slam," he added.

At the same time, the 35-year-old admitted that time has taken a toll on his body and that it takes him longer to recover physically these days than it used to be the case. Regardless, Novak Djokovic remains confident in his abilities to get through the next two weeks and manage his workload, having gone through the same ordeal countless times in the past.

"So part of me is, of course, you know, confident and always aspires to win Grand Slams and biggest titles in this sport, but I also have to be humble about the fact that things are a bit different, you know, with the way I'm feeling on the court month after month, you know. The beating is harder than it was before, physically," Djokovic said.

"So I'll try to balance things out. I know how to approach the Grand Slam. I know how to live during these few weeks, in a way day in and day out, and I hope that I'll have a few weeks. It would mean that I went far in the tournament. But yeah, I have a very good team of people around me, and so far things have been progressing well in the last week of training," he added.

While Djokovic admitted that history being on the line for him was very "flattering" and "motivating," he also acknowledged 14-time winner Rafael Nadal's absence in the tournament as being the main reason why this year's edition is more open that it has been in recent times.

"History being on the line is something that is very flattering and is very motivating, no doubt about it. Obviously Nadal not playing in the tournament here is a big loss for tennis, is a big loss for Roland Garros, because he's by far the most successful player to play in this tournament in the history," Novak Djokovic said.

"So of course it opens up, you know, a chance and opportunity for the rest of us to try to get a title, because whenever he plays he's an absolute favorite here or any clay court tournament, for that matter," he added.

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Novak Djokovic hoping for un-Australian Open-like run at French Open with injuries

Novak Djokovic Press Conference at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

The year's first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, went Novak Djokovic's way, with the Serb prevailing in Melbourne despite being severely injured. The Serb hoped he wouldn't have to bite his teeth through similar circumstances at the French Open in the coming days and looked forward to an injury-free time in Paris.

"That was the case with Australia this year. To be honest, I played great tennis in Adelaide and had a good lead-up, and then I got injured actually in last few matches in Adelaide lightly and then even more in practice week before Australia. So I had to deal with that have injury throughout the entire tournament which wasn't pleasant," Novak Djokovic said.

"But, you know, I won the tournament so it was amazing to be able to win it this way. But, you know, hopefully I don't need to deal with something like that. But I have to be ready that eventually things like that might happen nowadays more than that was the case before," he added.

A title run at Roland Garros will make Novak Djokovic the first man in tennis history to complete the Triple Career Grand Slam -- winning all four Majors at least three times each.