Novak Djokovic will not get "discouraged" by bad form or injury troubles, feels Jimmy Connors

Former World No. 1 Jimmy Connors believes Novak Djokovic will not get discouraged by his recent bad form and injury issues.

Djokovic was last seen in action at the Srpska Open, where he came from a set down to defeat Luca Van Assche in his opening match. He then lost in straight sets to compatriot Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinals.

After that result, the Serb pulled out of the ongoing Madrid Open citing injury. While the exact nature of the injury has not been revealed, Djokovic is expected to return to action at the Italian Open in Rome.

Speaking on an episode of the "Advantage Connors" podcast, Connors stated that Djokovic is experienced enough to not get discouraged in this difficult period. The eight-time Grand Slam winner said:

“I keep using the word discourage because if you ever get discouraged and down on yourselves, then that's kind of tough sometimes to break out of. Not getting discouraged is a big thing. And he's [Novak Djokovic] been around long enough and he’s won everything.

“Let's face it, he's got 22 Grand Slams, so he knows what it's like to be in all those situations. He just got to be prepared everywhere else to face that. So I don't think I'm too worried about that.”

The 70-year-old also stated that the World No. 1 will be eager to be back in action and build momentum heading into the French Open. Djokovic is currently tied with Nadal for the most Grand Slam titles among men (22), and the Serb would be eager to go past Nadal on the red dirt in Paris.

“He went in there and he got a couple of matches," Connors said. "That's also a confidence thing too. He hasn't played enough and he wants the matches, not only for the reps and being under pressure and all that but, you know, winning breeds success."

“If he even goes in and he says, ‘Well, I got everything out of that that I wanted to. I didn't win, but I should have got a lot out of this, which was good stuff.’ Then it's gonna work in his favor," he added.

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Novak Djokovic's 2023 season: A summary

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters.

Novak Djokovic began his 2023 campaign at the Adelaide International 1. He beat Constant Lestienne, Quentin Halys, Denis Shapovalov, Daniil Medvedev and Sebastian Korda to clinch the ATP 250 title.

Djokovic carried that momentum into the Australian Open. He got past Roberto Carballes Baena, Enzo Couacaud, Grigor Dimitrov, Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, Tommy Paul, and Stefanos Tsitsipas to win a record 10th title in Melbourne.

Since that win, however, the Serb has participated in only three tournaments — the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Monte-Carlo Masters, and Srpska Open. His best result in this period has been a semifinal finish in the Middle East.

Novak Djokovic, who has a 17-3 win-loss record for the season, will be hoping to participate in the Italian Open in Rome ahead of Roland Garros.