Djokovic Makes Drastic Schedule Change, Accepts pre-Roland Garros Wild Card

Novak Djokovic will play ahead of this year's Roland Garros despite previously withdrawing from the Italian Open in Rome.

Although he had never missed the event previously, Djokovic withdrew from the Italian Open in Rome. His withdrawal came after the 37-year-old lost three consecutive matches, and it was not clear why he chose not to play in the Italian capital.

The ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome is the best preparation for the clay-court Grand Slam, so Djokovic's decision to skip it raised some eyebrows, especially after he lost his first two tournaments on clay this year.

The French Open at Roland Garros starts on May 25th, and there are only two tournaments held in the week prior. The top contenders usually don't play those, but that won't be the case this year.

Jannik Sinner will play in Hamburg, mostly because he missed the majority of the clay-court season due to his suspension, and Djokovic now also signed up for a tournament running in the same week.

According to a report from the Serbian publication SportKlub, the 24-time Grand Slam champion will compete at the 2025 Geneva Open, which runs from May 18th until May 24th in the week before Roland Garros.

This wouldn't be Djokovic's first participation in the event. He played at the ATP 250 tournament in Geneva also last year. He bested Yannick Hanfmann and Tallon Griekspoor in the first two rounds, but then lost to Tomas Machac despite winning the second set of the match 6-0.

Djokovic received a wild card for the Geneva Open, and he will have a chance to test himself against some of the best players in the world. Machac, who beat him last year, will compete in the Swiss city again.

There will also be two Top 10 players competing in Geneva. Taylor Fritz is one of them, but the American mostly prefers hard courts. However, Casper Ruud, who is a two-time Roland Garros finalist, could prove to be a proper test for the Serbian player.

The entry list also includes names such as Grigor Dimitrov, Karen Khachanov, Alexei Popyrin, Denis Shapovalov, and Hubert Hurkacz. Matteo Arnaldi, who is the last player to beat Djokovic, will play in Geneva as well.

For Djokovic, the Geneva Open will be the last chance to improve his form and gain some confidence ahead of the French Open. Every tournament that the 37-year-old enters could mark his 100th title win, and every Grand Slam that he plays could see him win his record-breaking 25th major title.

So far, Djokovic has had a very disappointing season, but this scheduling choice could turn things around for him. Despite receiving a wild card, he should be one of the seeded players in Geneva, which means he will avoid the likes of Fritz, Ruud, and Dimitrov in the early rounds.