Djokovic links his upturn since the US Open to the easing of his physical problems
Answering Tennis Majors on the eve of his Paris opener against Valentin Vacherot, the Serbian said his results since the US Open, including a seventh Beijing title, have come as four months of physical problems eased, and that he is close to a solution.
Novak Djokovic, Rolex Paris Masters 2026 | © Baptiste Autissier / PsNewz
In a brief press conference of barely five minutes on Monday, on the eve of his Rolex Paris Masters opener against Valentin Vacherot, the main news from Novak Djokovic was that his upturn since the US Open, highlighted by his seventh Beijing title, has come as his physical problems have eased. Answering a question from Tennis Majors, the seven-time champion said he had struggled physically for four months, that it had nothing to do with his preparation, and that he was close to a solution.
“This year the focus shifted to feeling well on the court, because for most of the tournaments that I played, and I didn’t play many, it was health-wise a big struggle,” Djokovic said. “Physically I just struggled a lot, and it had nothing to do with my preparation or whether I’m training enough.”
“Whenever I felt better on the court, and lately that has been the case, we’re really getting closer to solving what I have been going through in the last four months,” he added. “So right away my performance level, my enjoyment on the court, my feeling is great.”
“I see there’s a lot of people that love to express their expert opinion on knowing exactly what’s happening with me. But they don’t.” Among them, Patrick Mouratoglou has suggested that the stress of not feeling ready was behind the problems Djokovic suffered on court.
Djokovic’s season since the US Open
Djokovic had already looked physically diminished well before New York. In Rome in May, he lost his opening match to qualifier Dino Prizmic 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. In Cincinnati in August, he lost to Thiago Agustin Tirante 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 after vomiting during a second-set changeover and needing a medical timeout, then spoke of a long-standing health problem.
The low point came at the US Open, where Djokovic lost to Mariano Navone in the first round after more than four and a half hours, his first opening-round defeat at a Grand Slam since 2006. In tears on his chair during the fifth set, he said afterwards that vomiting and cramping had followed him through almost every match of 2026. The defeat took him out of the top 10, leaving it without Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Djokovic for the first time since 2002.
He returned in Beijing a month later, needing treatment on his abdomen in his first match. After a second medical timeout, he said the issue was “not stamina” but “something else, more related to health”, without saying what. He then beat top seed Alexander Zverev and went on to win his seventh Beijing title, the 102nd of his career, when Alex de Minaur retired in the final.
Three days later, a tired Djokovic lost to Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-3 in his opening match in Shanghai. Last week in Basel, he beat Ugo Humbert to return to the top 10, then lost to Jan-Lennard Struff 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-6 (5), the German’s first win over him in nine meetings.
“Beijing was the best week of the year other than Australia, and I thought I played pretty well in Basel as well, of course,” Djokovic said. “It was a tight match to lose.”
Djokovic needs a deep run in Paris for the ATP Finals
Djokovic, the 10th seed, starts in Paris for the first time since his 2023 title. Eleventh in the Race to Turin, he needs at least the semi-finals to stay in contention for the Nitto ATP Finals. He faces Vacherot, the Basel champion, on Tuesday, with qualifier Rinky Hijikata awaiting the winner.
The Serbian said the Grand Slams remain “the pillars” of the sport, but that he also wants to play well elsewhere. “I’m just trying to enjoy the last couple of weeks of the season on the court, feeling better primarily, as I said,” he said. “And then the performance will come.”
Just after his press conference, Djokovic took part in a ceremony on Court Central celebrating the 40th birthday of the Rolex Paris Masters, a tournament he has won more often than anyone in its history.
Djokovic’s draw in Paris: the road to the quarter-finals
Djokovic is in the top quarter of the draw, led by top seed and new World No. 1 Alexander Zverev, his projected opponent in the quarter-finals. Eighth seed Alex de Minaur, who retired against him in the Beijing final, is the projected opponent in the third round.
Novak Djokovic’s section of the Rolex Paris Masters draw
| First round | Second round | Third round | Quarter-final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Alexander ZverevGER | A. Zverev 1 | Wednesday | Thursday |
| Bye | |||
| Lorenzo MusettiITA | L. Musetti7-6 (3), 7-6 (10) | ||
| Hubert HurkaczPOL | |||
| Luca Van AsscheFRA | L. Van Assche6-3, 7-5 | Wednesday | |
| Mariano NavoneARG | |||
| Stefanos TsitsipasGRE | Tuesday | ||
| 15Learner TienUSA | |||
| 10Novak DjokovicSRB | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday |
| Valentin VacherotMON | |||
| Luciano DarderiITA | R. Hijikata6-2, 6-2 | ||
| QRinky HijikataAUS | |||
| Andrey Rublev | Tuesday | Wednesday | |
| Tomas Martin EtcheverryARG | |||
| Bye | A. de Minaur 8 | ||
| 8Alex de MinaurAUS |
Seeds next to the names, Q: qualifier. FRA: French players. Days are those of the matches still to be played. The two players in the last column meet in the quarter-finals on Friday. Scroll sideways on mobile.
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