| (BSS/AFP) - Novak Djokovic arrives at Roland Garros this year facing a familiar opponent, but one that cannot be outmanoeuvred even by the record 24-time Grand Slam champion: time.
The Serbian, who turns 39 this week, is no longer the immovable presence he once was, his famed durability now increasingly a concern in a sport shaped by younger, physically explosive rivals.
The question is not simply whether he can win another French Open, but how he continues to adjust his game and mindset to defy the natural erosion that comes with advancing years.
While his scheduling is more selective and his approach more pragmatic, Djokovic conceded he would have liked more time on clay before coming to Paris.
He has played in just three tournaments in 2026, and lost his only match on clay to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic at this month`s Italian Open.
Djokovic pulled out of tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid while dealing with a shoulder injury -- with strapping visible during his brief stay in Rome.
"It`s not an ideal preparation, to be honest," said Djokovic, who will be seeded third at Roland Garros.
"I don`t recall the last time I had in the last couple of years a preparation where I didn`t have any kind of physical issues or health issues coming into the tournament. There`s always something. Kind of a new reality that I have to deal with."
It is a candid admission from a player who has built his career on meticulous planning and physical resilience, but who is confronting the realities of an ageing body.
"It is frustrating," he said. "At the same time it`s my decision to still perform in that kind of state and conditions."
Djokovic`s record at Roland Garros underlines why he cannot be discounted. The absence of defending two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz is another factor in his favour.
A three-time French Open champion and one of the few players to consistently trouble Rafael Nadal on the surface, Djokovic has reached the quarter-finals or better at each edition since a third-round loss in 2009.
- `I see what I`m missing` -
But the physical demands of clay are unforgiving, and Djokovic is acutely aware of the marginal losses that come with age.
"I see what I`m missing," he said. "Late half a step. I`m not definitely where I want to be for the highest level and to compete at the highest level and to be able to get far."
Recent seasons have also shown the growing challenge of sustaining peak performance over the two-week grind of a Grand Slam. Matches that once tilted towards him now demand sustained excellence from first point to last.
His preparation, as he openly acknowledges, has limits. "I train hard. I train as much as the body allows me to," he said. "Then how it turns out on the court, that`s really unpredictable."
However, Djokovic is one of just two men to beat red-hot title favourite Jannik Sinner this season, having ended his Australian Open reign.
Djokovic delivered what he called one of his best performances in a decade to outlast the Italian in five sets in the semi-finals in January, fired up by those who had written him off.
"I never stopped doubting. I never stopped believing in myself," said the former world number one at the time.
"There`s a lot of people that doubt me. I see there is a lot of experts all of a sudden that wanted to retire me or have retired me many times the last couple of years.
"I want to thank them all because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong."
Djokovic would go on to lose to Alcaraz in the final -- and has not added to his Grand Slam haul since the 2023 US Open -- but it would be foolish to dismiss him again, as he has proved many times over.
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