Novak Djokovic provides elbow injury update after Dominic Thiem Monte Carlo Masters loss
NOVAK DJOKOVIC has revealed he is playing pain-free tennis - and that is the biggest challenge for him at the moment.
Djokovic was beaten by No 5 seed Dominic Thiem in the last 16 of the Monte Carlo Masters today, winning a first-set tie-break but eventually going down 6-7, 6-2, 6-3.
The Austrian will now face world No 1 Rafael Nadal, meaning Djokovic has not now played the Spaniard since May last year.
Much of that time he has spent out injured after multiple operations on a troublesome right elbow and despite the loss to Thiem, Djokovic was pleased with his two wins - over Dusan Lajovic and Borna Coric - in Monaco.
"I’ve had three matches here, I didn't expect anything. I played without pain in the elbow which is important,” Djokovic said.
"I haven't played too many matches – six, seven, eight in total since July – so I look forward to build more confidence on the court, to get my game on the desired level.
"I thought the intensity was quite high [on Thursday]. It was pretty close until the last game, the last point, we were quite toe-to-toe but he was just the better player in the important moments."
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Djokovic is aiming to back at his best by the time the French Open comes around at the end of May.
The Serbian reached the quarter-finals last year before also losing to Thiem but is a former champion at Roland Garros, having triumphed there in 2016 to complete his career Grand Slam.
And the 30-year-old is desperate to return to the level that bagged him 12 major titles between 2008 and 2016.
"Ideally, I'd want to be playing the way I played for so many years, but that comes with time," Djokovic added.
"I understand that it's quite hard to play match after match on a very high level if I don't have too many matches behind me, if I had an injury, if I had an absence from the Tour for six months.
"All these things we have to take in consideration.
"Obviously, patience is required, trust in the process, believing in myself, in my game, people around me.
"I really believe that if I continue doing what I'm doing so far, believing in myself, I know eventually I'm going to get there. I'm going to get there.
"There was a lot of positives in this tournament.”
“Three matches played, last two matches have been almost two-and-a-half hours and today three sets against one of the best players in the world, especially on clay.”