"With rankings and the way I've been playing in the last few weeks, I would rate myself as one of the favorites" - Novak Djokovic on his chances at the French Open

Novak Djokovic believes he is "one of the favorites" for the French Open due to his ranking and recent form.

The World No. 1's form has been on an upward trajectory in recent weeks. After losing in the opening round at Monte-Carlo, the Serb finished as runner-up in Serbia and semifinalist in Madrid.

On Sunday, he got his hands on his first title of 2022 by winning the Italian Open. Speaking to the media after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the summit clash, the Serb was asked to assess his chances in Paris.

Djokovic reckons he has the credentials to do well at the French Open, insisting that he places more impetus on himself than on the chances of the rest of the field.

"Well, I mean, I think with rankings and the way I've been playing in the last few weeks, I would rate myself as one of the favorites," Djokovic said. "I don't obviously spend too much time thinking who's going to win it or who might have the best chance. I always think about myself."

The two-time champion explained that he would draw a lot of confidence from his title win in Rome but suggested that the draw in Paris could also have a role to play in his campaign.

"I go there with the highest ambitions, particularly of the way I played here. I really like my chances," Djokovic added. "Obviously the draw and everything, it's not something that you can affect, but it's going to also determine a little bit of my trajectory to the later stages of the event."

Highlighting the difficulties of negotiating the drawn-out nature of a Slam, the World No. 1 stressed that he backs his chances in Paris this time around.

"Best-of-five, you play every second day. It's a Grand Slam. It's different," added the Serb. "Really, the Grand Slams are played different. You have to approach it differently. But the way I've been feeling on the court and off the court in the last few weeks, I really think I can go far."

"I didn't have any fitness issues, it was just those traces of the illness that I had" - Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic recently revealed that his charge took ill ahead of the Monte-Carlo Masters. When asked for an update on his physical well-being, the World No. 1 asserted that he started feeling "really good" during the Madrid Masters after spending a week doing fitness training.

He reckons his physical struggles were entirely due to his illness ahead of the Monte-Carlo Masters and not due to fitness issues.

"I think physically I really felt really good from Madrid onwards," Djokovic said. "Already there I felt like the physical issues that I was facing in Monte-Carlo and Serbia are behind me. I put in a lot of fitness hours between Serbia and Madrid. I had a week of training."

"I knew that it wasn't something related to my fitness, it was more related to the health issue, the illness I had just before the Monte-Carlo tournament," he added. "It turned out to be correct. I didn't have any fitness issues. It was just those traces of the illness that I had. Right now I feel perfect."

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