Novak Djokovic unimpressed with slow court conditions at family-licensed Srpska Open

Novak Djokovic was left unimpressed by the slow court conditions he encountered at the Srpska Open in Banja Luka, a tournament whose license is owned by the Serb's family.

Following his third-round exit from the Monte-Carlo Masters, Djokovic set his sights on the ATP 250 Srpska Open title. The tournament replaces the Serbia Open for a year as the World No. 1's family prepares the Serbian venue to apply for ATP 500 status. Djokovic's brother Djorde retained his place as the tournament director for the event in Banja Luka.

In his opening match, the 22-time Grand Slam champion emerged victorious with a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 win over French teenager Luca Van Assche. Despite losing the first set, Djokovic managed to bounce back in the second set to even the score. Although he found himself trailing at the start of the third set, he raised his level to prevail after two hours and 38 minutes of play.

Following his victory, the Serb commented that the slow court conditions made for a difficult playing experience. He mentioned that it was the slowest court he had ever played on and that it was challenging to penetrate through the court or hit the ball past Van Assche.

“It wasn’t easy,” he said in his on-court interview. “This would probably rank as the slowest court, slowest conditions I’ve ever played in, to be honest. I couldn’t penetrate through the court. I couldn’t put any ball past him.”

The World No. 1 acknowledged the tough competition posed by the French youngster and stated that he was happy to come through with the win.

“He was on every single ball for a set-and-a-half until I started to get some rhythm going,” he said. “I’m happy with the way I finished the match. Of course I can always play better, but a win is a win.”

Tennis journalist Jose Morgado suggested that the Srpska Open court conditions may have been impacted by three consecutive days of unexpected rain.

Novak Djokovic admitted his elbow is not in "ideal condition" prior to the Srpska Open

The World No. 1 suffered an elbow injury at Monte-Carlo Masters

Lorenzo Musetti caused an upset at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters as he defeated Novak Djokovic in the third round. The World No. 1 was seen struggling with his elbow during the match.

Speaking to the media ahead of his opening match at the Srpska Open, the 35-year-old said that while his elbow wasn't in great shape, he would still be able to compete at the tournament.

"You know very well what my goals are. The elbow is not in ideal condition, but it seems to be good enough. I hope it will be better by my first match," he said.

Novak Djokovic will take on the winner of the match between Dusan Lajovic and Gregoire Barrere in the quarterfinals in Banja Luka on Friday, April 21.