{"id":42118,"date":"2025-04-19T01:55:40","date_gmt":"2025-04-19T01:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42118"},"modified":"2025-04-19T01:55:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T01:55:40","slug":"novak-djokovic-could-secure-rankings-breakthrough-at-his-next-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42118","title":{"rendered":"Novak Djokovic could secure rankings breakthrough at his next tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Novak<\/figure>\n

Novak Djokovic takes a breather<\/p>\n

The jury was out on whether Novak Djokovic would play at the Madrid Open after what he described as a \u2018horrible\u2019 display in his defeat against\u00a0Alejandro Tabilo at the Monte Carlo Masters, but it seems he is set to play in the Spanish capital for the first time since 2022.<\/p>\n

This has tended to be the major clay court event Djokovic has opted against playing in as he trains his focus on the French Open at Roland Garros and after his poor display in Monte Carlo, time away from the ATP Tour must have been a consideration for the 24-time Grand Slam king.<\/p>\n

Yet Djokovic appears to have changed his stance on where tennis fits into his life in recent months and after suggesting for most of last year that he would rather spend time with his young family than play in ATP Tour events, he now appears to be keen to play in as many tournaments as possible.<\/p>\n

Images have emerged of Djokovic training with South Africa\u2019s Lloyd Harris at Puente Romano Tennis Club, in what appears to be his final preparations ahead of a trip to Madrid.<\/p>\n

It is unclear whether Djokovic\u2019s wife and children Stefan and Tara will be joining him in Madrid, with the family appearing to take more of a backseat role in 2025.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Djokovic\u2019s family were travelling with him for most of last season and when he won the Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games last August, the images of him embracing his children were among the most iconic of the tennis year.<\/p>\n

Now Djokovic appears to have changed his approach and is keen to give all he can to claiming what would be a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.<\/p>\n

He made it clear that his only focus for the European clay court season was on Roland Garros after his loss against Tabilo, but it seems he does feel the need to include Madrid as a stop off on his path to the second Grand Slam of 2025.<\/p>\n

Aside from the clay court practice, the other big appeal for Djokovic to play in Madrid is the chance to add fresh ranking points to his tally and climb into the top four of the ATP Rankings ahead of the French Open.<\/p>\n

That would ensure he avoids a clash with world No 1 Jannik Sinner and defending French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz until semi-finals at Roland Garros.<\/p>\n

Taylor Fritz is currently in No 4 position on the ATP Rankings, but he is defending 400 points in Madrid after his impressive run to the last four a year ago, while all Djokovic\u2019s points in Madrid will be new to his record.<\/p>\n

So an early exit for Fritz and a deep run for Djokovic could see the crucial No 4 rankings spot change hands.<\/p>\n

According to former world No 1 Andy Roddick, Djokovic\u2019s defeat against Tabilo was not significant as he only played in Monte Carlo because he lives in the Principality.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Tennis Channel, Roddick insisted the tennis world should not read too much into Djokovic\u2019s latest defeat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that the base level for Novak for a successful year is two majors anymore,\u201d stated Roddick.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the question is, \u2018can I build up my season? Can I peak for the majors, right? Can I be as good once as I ever was?\u2019 Right? I think that matters a little bit more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if we would have seen Novak here in this tournament [Monte Carlo], or for the last couple of years if he didn\u2019t live up the street, right? I think this is almost paid practice for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to reset. Next Monday, he\u2019s still going to be in Monte Carlo training, to get ready for the clay-court season, so I don\u2019t put a ton of stock in this.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe there\u2019s a little bit of a matchup issue, but if Novak gets a good run of three or four weeks into the French Open, even having lost to Tabilo twice, I know who I\u2019d be taking in this matchup three out of five sets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Djokovic has only played the Madrid Open once over the last five years, but the expectation is he will be in the draw when it is made next week.<\/p>\n

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic\u2019s early Monte Carlo Masters exit \u2018should be viewed as normal\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Novak Djokovic tends to skip the Madrid Open, but he looks set to play in the Spanish capital this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\nNovak Djokovic could secure rankings breakthrough at his next tournament - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42118\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Novak Djokovic could secure rankings breakthrough at his next tournament - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Novak Djokovic tends to skip the Madrid Open, but he looks set to play in the Spanish capital this year.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42118\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-19T01:55:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2-125.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42118\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42118\",\"name\":\"Novak Djokovic could secure rankings breakthrough at his next tournament - 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