Novak Djokovic news: Serbian is 'close to perfection' right now, says Roland Garros rival
- Planet Sport writer
- 17 May 2022
Greek names Novak Djokovic and a Spaniard as his French Open favourites - but not THAT Spaniard...
Stefanos Tsitsipas has made Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz his favourites to win the French Open, describing the Serbian as 'close to perfection' right now.
Tsitsipas was defeated by Djokovic in the French Open final last season and he got a close-up look at him in the Rome Masters last week.
Djokovic was in dominant mood that day, bageling the Greek on his way to winning his first title of 2022.
Rafael Nadal is the traditional favourite for any event on clay, with him winning Roland Garros 13 times in his career so far.
He is battling a foot injury right now, though, just as Djokovic is finding his best form, leaving Tsitsipas to tip the world number one alongside teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz.
WHen asked by reporters in Rome who he considers to be the favourites to win the French Open, Tsitsipas said: "Right now Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic.
"They both play great, great tennis. I would put them as favourites.
"Right now I need to improve a few things in my game. I don't know if I'm going to get there, but I hope I do with my hard work by the time Roland Garros begins.
"I'd love myself to get around with these players and be there with them. But I will really need to put a bit more attention to detail in the next couple of weeks."
On Djokovic specifically, Tsitsipas added: "He has everything tuned in close to perfection," Tsitsipas said of Djokovic.
"When it comes to his diet or his everyday life, his tennis, he has everything scheduled out really well.
"He's like a Formula 1 car: every single small detail can disrupt his rhythm. He makes sure every single thing that he does is reaching as close to perfection as possible.
"In terms of talking about tennis legends and breaking records, when it comes to all these things, I personally think he's one of the most professional and the best of them all."
