Novak Djokovic Shares Troubling Admission Before French Open

The men’s French Open draw will already be without arguably the best player in the world in Carlos Alcaraz, but now another could join the ranks of the greats not playing in the tournament.

On Friday afternoon 24-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic shared a troubling update on his return, suggesting he might not play or will be severely hampered heading into the French Open.

Asked if he was confident of being in good shape for Roland Garros, he replied: “I don’t know. I hope so.”

“The situation is as it is. You make the most out of it,” he said. “I train hard. I train as much as the body allows me to. Then how it turns out on the court, that’s really unpredictable.”

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His comments came after being defeated 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 by Dino Prizmic at the Italian Open. It was the first tournament for the 38-year-old since since losing to Jack Draper in the fourth round in Indian Wells, California, in March.

According to the Associated Press, Djokovic had taping on his right shoulder that was revealed when he changed shirts between sets.

After dominating the opening set, Djokovic appeared to feel under the weather at the start of the second. He began looking distinctly uncomfortable and glanced repeatedly toward his team.

The French Open is scheduled to take place from May 18 to June 7.

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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 1:15 PM.