Detailed analysis: Why is Djokovic never able to win the French Open again?

By the standards of tennis players, Djokovic is old. He has crossed thirty and is approaching forty. Generally speaking, this is the age at which professional tennis players' careers begin to decline, and no matter what illusions Tommy Haas's professional experience may have, this is a universal rule.

The closer you get to 40, the closer you are to retirement, provided you keep going this far. The next Grand Slam tournament of the year is the French Open, and clay courts are the most physically demanding of all tennis court types. On clay, the pace of the game is slower, the rounds are long, and the matches are often longer, which is by no means the type of court that older players prefer.

So, what are Djokovic's chances of winning this tournament this year? The answer is not promising. The last time he won the event was in 2023, when he beat Ruud in the final. That was two years ago, and since then, he hasn't come close to replicating that year's success. The closest he came to reaching the summit was at last year's Olympics, also on Roland Garros' pitch. However, there is a key difference in that the Olympics are played in a best-of-three format, rather than a best-of-five format.

The difference was crucial as Djokovic was able to reach the final with a relatively high level of fitness at the Olympics, in contrast to his earlier trip to Roland Garros earlier in the same year. Although his form was acceptable, he struggled to maintain a high level of performance throughout the match. He struggled in a number of races, and this struggled form eventually led to an injury that forced him to retire from the tournament, largely due to his age.

Let's face it, on clay there is a huge amount of physicality and Djokovic, who has slowed down significantly, no longer has the advantage he once had. This makes each round longer and the whole fight more tough, further increasing the risk of injury. Coupled with the fact that his body is already aging, his body's ability to withstand high-intensity matches decreases with each passing day.

While there are millions of fans around the world who want to see him perform well at the upcoming French Open and even win the title again to further his Grand Slam record, there is a good chance that Djokovic will not be able to do so. If we look at his current performances, the chances of him winning this tournament are slim to none. With a 12-7 record in 2025, which at first glance seems like a decent record, a record that looks neither bad nor particularly impressive, however, if we look further, seven of those victories were scored by him in January.

More worryingly, all 12 victories came at three tournaments: the Australian Open, Brisbane and Miami Masters. You might think he's only competed in these three races this year, but that's not the case. He competed in a total of seven tournaments, which means that he did not win a single event in four tournaments. The four events are Doha, Indian Wells, Monte Carlo and Madrid, with the latter two events – Monte Carlo and Madrid – taking place on clay courts.

This is undoubtedly an extremely bad sign for Djokovic, as his performance on clay this year has been far from satisfactory. Why? At the end of the day, it's because he's old. His running speed has become slower, which means he can't hit the ball as quickly as he used to, and it will be difficult for him to be competitive in multi-shot rounds.

Of course, Djokovic may have some ways to deal with these dilemmas, but he has never been the type of player who relies on powerful shots to overpower opponents, so it's unlikely that he will suddenly change his style of play and become like that. What's more, more and more young fighters are now capable of beating him, and the situation is not optimistic. He's on a downward trend in his career, and clay is the type of court where his weaknesses are most exposed. That's why he won't be able to win this tournament this year, and it's the key to why he won't be able to win it again in the future.

In 2023, Djokovic will win the title for Roland Garros for the last time. Perhaps, we have to accept that.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)