Alex Corretja sat down with Telegraf for an exclusive interview where he talked about the recent surge of Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic began his recent rise on clay back home in Belgrade where he played a couple of tricky matches to reach the final. While he ran out of gas in the final losing to Rublev, Djokovic built a foundation that saw him play great events back-to-back in Madrid in Rome. Speaking about the rise Corretja noted:
"It wasn't Rome, we have to go back to Belgrade. I think he rose in Belgrade. That was the turning point in his season, when he came back against Kecmanovic and Djere. That is the moment when Novak showed me that he is ready for the French Open. Despite the defeat in Madrid by Alcaraz, I realized that he was ready. I don't want to reveal private conversations with his coaches, but I was one hundred percent sure that he would reach the final or win the title in Rome."
For Corretja, Rome demonstrated that Djokovic understands how he needs to play on clay in order to win the French Open:
"Rome is just proof that he has found a way to play on clay and that he will be ready for the French Open. He is coming to Paris with great confidence because he is very close to his best form. I'm not saying that he has to win the French Open, but I think he understands the game on clay better now than before. I am impressed that, after retaining the first place and winning so many trophies, he changes his game and adapts in that way. He is definitely one of the favorites in Paris."
Corretja was also asked about the hardest question in tennis. Who will be the best ever at the of it all? He said:
"It's always a question of how Rafa is. The question is whether he is healthy or not, that makes a big difference for the future. I think Novak definitely has a good chance to win more Grand Slam titles in the end. Every Grand Slam is a new chance for Djokovic, he showed that he is always good at Wimbledon, the US Open, he loves the Australian Open and he will play each seriously if the opportunity arises."
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