"The fact that he's won a huge title in Rome is going to give him confidence" - Somdev Devvarman on Novak Djokovic's French Open chances

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will return to Grand Slam tennis at the 2022 French Open after missing out on the first Major of the year Down Under due to issues with his vaccination status.

Djokovic was unable to play a regular tennis schedule as a result of his stance and rules for entry in countries requiring vaccination.

Speaking about Djokovic's return at Roland Garros, Somdev Devvarman, a former tennis player, acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead of him. In an interview with NDTV, Devvarman said that Djokovic is going into the event in the best form possible.

"The good news for Novak despite losing the semis to Alcaraz in Madrid, he's gone ahead and won the title in Rome and he's won it fairly convincingly. I think when it comes to Novak, he's definitely going into the French Open with as good as the form he can expect and he for sure would have liked to have won a title and the fact that he's won a huge title in Rome is going to give him confidence and I think he's going to be exactly where he wants to be," Devvarman said.

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"He was far from his best even when he did come back" - Somdev Devvarman on Novak Djokovic's struggles upon return

Novak Djokovic in action in Rome

Novak Djokovic has had a start-stop year thus far due to his unvaccinated status, with the Serb unable to participate in several tournaments. He had a slow start to the claycourt season, losing in the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters. He struggled physically in the third set against Alejandra Davidovich Fokina in the Principality and had to play four tough three-setters in Belgrade.

However, he seems to have found his stride after a poor start to the claycourt season. Somdev Devvarman said he understood the challenges the Serb faced upon his return.

Devvarman added that he wasn't surprised by Djokovic's surprising losses early on in his comeback. The Indian added that his lack of match play hampered his form.

"The World No. 1 needs tennis matches under his belt, the World No. 1 needs to be sharp, have wins, win tournaments, you know, feel like he's out there playing his best tennis," Devvarman said.

"We saw at the start of the year that Novak was far from his best even when he did come back, he had some uncanny losses, he wasn't winning tournaments.It shocked a lot of the tennis world but for me I felt like it was very normal because he hadn't played the kind of matches he's used to playing, especially to begin the season."

Djokovic begins his quest for a third French Open crown and a record-equalling 21st Grand Slam next week as the top seed.

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