Alexander Zverev thinks that Novak Djokovic's "tennis ability" is still above the rest of the field when the Serbian really tries.
Djokovic's start to the 2025 season has been one of the worst in his tennis career. In fact, he has lost the same number of matches in the first four months of the new season as he did during the full 2020, 2022, and 2023 seasons.
On top of that, twice this year, the 37-year-old lost three consecutive matches, something that happened to him very rarely before. It's clear that this year hasn't been up to Djokovic's liking so far, and to add to that, he seems to be struggling with physical issues as well.
But even with the 24-time Grand Slam champion missing weeks of action and not winning matches like he used to, it seems that Djokovic's rivals still have an incredible respect for his abilities on the tennis court.
Alexander Zverev, who made it to the Australian Open final this year thanks to Djokovic's retirement in their semi-final meeting, was asked about the 99-time ATP titlist after his win over Vilius Gaubas at the 2025 Italian Open.
According to the German player, even though Djokovic hasn't managed to find his best level this year (maybe apart from the Australian Open and Miami Open), he still believes that the Serbian is "above everyone else" when it comes to the pure quality of tennis.
However, Zverev also emphasized that one of the factors that could determine whether Djokovic would succeed at Roland Garros or not could be his motivation.
"Maybe he didn't play up to his standard or his liking, but who does sometimes. If you're not winning the tournament, if you're a top guy and you're not winning the tournament, you always go home a little bit pissed and a little bit upset."
"I still believe once he finds his game, he's still one of the most dangerous players in the world. There's no question about his ability at all. It's more whether he still wants to. It's more whether he still wants to put in the work. That's a question to him. I can't answer that. His tennis ability is above everyone else's."
Djokovic's next tournament won't be the French Open, as he signed up for one more event before that. The experienced Serbian will play at the Geneva Open, where he also competed last year.
He wants to play a few competitive matches before the start of the clay-court Grand Slam, but prior to the tournament, Djokovic appeared with a strapped knee, which is never a positive sign.
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