Novak Djokovic will enter the French Open without a title to his name this season, following his semifinal loss at the Geneva Open on Friday. The world number one was defeated by the 44th-ranked Tomas Machac, who prevailed with a 6-4, 0-6, 6-1 victory in the final clay-court event before Roland Garros. The main draw for the French Open begins on Sunday.
Djokovic expressed his concerns about his form, stating, “Of course I am worried. I haven’t been playing good at all this year.” His overall record for 2024 has now dropped to 14-6, with three semifinal losses, including a defeat to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open.
Discussing his prospects at Roland Garros, Djokovic remarked, “I don’t consider myself a favorite there. I’m going to take it match by match and see how far I can go.” Despite his modest outlook, Djokovic has an impressive history at the French Open, having won the title three times, including two of the past three tournaments. He holds a men’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
Machac seized his first match-point opportunity on Djokovic’s serve, securing the win when Djokovic sent a backhand long. Djokovic’s performance was hampered by five service breaks and 27 unforced errors.
“If you play against Novak you just hope and try to play your best and see how it looks,” Machac commented in an on-court interview. Djokovic graciously congratulated the Czech player at the net and applauded the fans as he left the court.
Djokovic also took a medical timeout after the first set due to a stomach issue. He explained, “It was a terrible feeling with stomach and health today. It was not a great night and today as well. I don’t want to take anything away from his win, he deserved it.”
Machac is set to compete in his first tour final on Saturday against either two-time Geneva champion Casper Ruud, the French Open runner-up for the past two years, or the unseeded Flavio Cobolli. Their semifinal match was delayed by rain and had not started as of this report.
