'The wish is to go far,' Novak Djokovic clear about his goals for Rome as he aims to compete at his best level during Roland Garros

Novak Djokovic has not won a title since his historic run at the ATP Finals last November. This is not something the great Serbian is accustomed to, as he generally starts off a year completely dominating everyone in Australia. This year has been unexpectedly hard on the World No. 1 as he has struggled to find his form amidst injuries.

He seemed to have finally found his groove in Monte Carlo, where he resides with his family. However, his hopes of winning the first clay court Masters tournament of the year were crushed by Casper Ruud in the semifinal. Following this loss, Djokovic had taken some time off to recover and be with his family.

This week, Djokovic returns to action in Rome with all eyes on him as it is the last tournament he plays before the French Open. In a press conference today, he opened up about his level of preparation and his expectations from the tournament.

I'm pleased with the way the last 10 days, 14 days went in terms of training, in terms of preparation and looking ahead to this tournament, but particularly Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Olympic Games. That's the block for which we are preparing the most. Novak Djokovic said

In this statement, Djokovic hints that the bigger tournaments post the Rome Open are his main goals and he wishes to be in his best form for the French Open in particular, as it inches closer. He also mentioned that he is in a good position to make a deep run in Rome, having had enough time to prepare for the tournament.

Hopefully here in Rome I can play better than I did in Monte-Carlo. That's the wish, obviously, is always to go far. Novak Djokovic added

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal may face off in a final one last time

The draws and schedules for the Rome Open were announced earlier this week following an eye-catching draw ceremony. Djokovic, being the top seed, is in naturally the first quarter of the draw and his greatest rival, Rafael Nadal, is in the last quarter.