Arthur Fils beats Novak Djokovic in practice before Italian Open

Novak Djokovic appears ready to make his first clay-court appearance of the season after sitting out every event over the past month.

While there have been several valid reasons for his absence, it’s clear he’s prioritising his physical condition ahead of Roland Garros.

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With Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by injury, Djokovic’s path to a record 25th Grand Slam title could be more open than ever.

However, skipping competitive matches on clay may still have an impact, despite how comfortable he is on the surface. That notion was reinforced by what happened during a recent practice session against Arthur Fils.

Novak Djokovic takes pre-Italian Open hit

While the Frenchman is a tough matchup on any surface, he has stood out in particular this season for his performances on clay.

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He started the year with a win in Barcelona and made it to the semi-finals in Madrid. There’s no reason to think he can’t put together another strong run in Rome.

Djokovic, wanting to measure himself against a rising talent, organised a practice set with the 21-year-old.

The result wasn’t encouraging for Djokovic, with Fils winning 6-2.

After his recent loss to Jannik Sinner, Fils was told what areas he needed to work on. Getting court time against someone like Djokovic will only help him address those gaps.

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What Djokovic’s missed clay-court time could mean for him

There are two ways that Djokovic’s lack of tennis on clay can go.

On the one hand, the rest might be just what he needed, and whilst Rome might not result in a trophy, he could head to Paris completely refreshed and ready to attack for the title.

After all, having played at the top level of the sport for over two decades, Djokovic knows how to play on clay. There’s little new he would have learned this year.

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Alas, the nuances of this surface are obvious, and the transition remains tricky no matter how experienced a player is.

If his physical condition has been recharged during his break from competition, it may still take some time before he adapts to clay again. And if that happens in Rome, it would leave him short on match practice ahead of Roland Garros.

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