Novak Djokovic aims for Roland Garros peak in Rome, reunites with fitness coach Gebhard Gritsch

ROME, Italy—Novak Djokovic has only played three tournaments in 2024. As he prepares to play a fourth at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, it becomes quickly apparent that the world No. 1 wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“It was not part of the schedule,” Djokovic smiled when asked about his absence from the Mutua Madrid Open. “The plan was to come here.”

That plan has certainly been successful in the past for the six-time champion, though the fact that Djokovic has gone through the first four months of the season without winning a title is unusual—especially for a player used to starting the year with a major victory at the Australian Open.

But rather than rush for hardware, Djokovic has employed an approach that favors peaking at the most important tournaments on the schedule, which, for a 24-time major champion, can only include Grand Slams and the Olympic Games.

“I had plenty of time to also rest and train. Had a good training block. I arrived here two days ago to get a hit on the center court, as well, obviously stayed four or five days training before my first match with top players.

I'm pleased with the way the last 10 days, 14 days went in terms of training, in terms of preparation and looking ahead to this tournament, but particularly Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Olympic Games. That's the block for which we are preparing the most. Novak Djokovic

“Hopefully here in Rome I can play better than I did in Monte-Carlo. That's the wish, obviously, is always to go far. But let's see. It's a different concept now. It's the first time that Rome and Madrid are almost two weeks' events, like Indian Wells, Miami. It gives you I guess more time to recover between matches if you keep going in the tournament, which I think is useful for me.”

The top seed also arrives in Rome having made another adjustment to his team, rehiring longtime fitness coach his Gebhard Gritsch.

“I am working currently with a fitness coach that I worked with for many years,” explained Djokovic, who last worked with Gritsch in 2019 and rehired him in the wake of his split from Marco Panichi.

“It didn't take much time to adapt to his program and approach. We know each other really well. That's why I feel like we're synchronized from the very beginning in terms of what we want to do, how we want to approach the program of training on and off the court.

“We just have to see, wait and see, how it's going to be translated, that work, or transformed into a good performance on the court.”

In spite of apparent internal upheaval that includes the dismissal of coach Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic enjoyed an encouraging start to his clay-court campaign at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, reaching the semifinals before losing to a resurgent Casper Ruud in three sets.

Looking ahead to Roland Garros, the Serb moreover has the added advantage of appearing the freshest of his immediate rivals: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz were both forced to withdraw from Rome due to injuries.

But Djokovic does not lack for worthy adversaries at the Foro Italico: drawn into Ruud’s quarter of the draw, the world No. 1 has been sparring with the likes of Grigor Dimitrov and Holger Rune, who won their Rome quarterfinal last year.

“The training that you do with sparring partners, maybe not top players, is completely different than the ones you have with the guys who are Top 5, Top 10 in the world, your biggest rivals,” Djokovic explained.

“It's a great opportunity for me to get that kind of play feeling on the court and build momentum.”

Djokovic will look to kickstart his momentum after a bye, playing his first match against Roman Safiullin or lucky loser Corentin Moutet.