Novak Djokovic was not mentally ready to fight Rafael Nadal at French Open 2022, says coach Goran Ivanisevic

Novak Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic believes that his pupil was not mentally ready to face Rafael Nadal in the 2022 French Open quarterfinals.

In January of last year, Djokovic was deported from Australia due to his stance on COVID-19 vaccines. He also had to skip the Sunshine Double in the US, where foreign travelers are still required to show proof of vaccination to enter the country. The Serb returned to action during the clay season and won the Italian Open.

He then breezed past his opponents in his first four matches at Roland Garros, before Nadal defeated him 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) in the last-eight stage.

Speaking to Tennis Majors recently, Ivanisevic first praised Djokovic for putting the deportation saga behind him and returning to the tour strongly.

"Nothing is comparable to last year, a year no ordinary human being would survive," Ivanisevic said. "After everything that happened in Australia, he was sick and stuck to his bed for 10 days before the clay court season. In Monte Carlo, he could barely breathe, it was a bit better in Belgrade, and then he started to play better – Madrid, Rome, all the way to the Roland Garros quarter-final."

The 51-year-old added that he found the match against Nadal "a bit odd" and that the Spaniard deserved to win because Djokovic wasn't 'mentally ready.'

"To be honest, I still don’t know what happened there, I still find that match a bit odd. Novak just wasn’t mentally ready to fight Nadal, who was the better player and deserved to win," he said.

Ivanisevic also said that their goal is to win the French Open this year. The Croat believes that Djokovic can beat anyone if he is mentally in the right space.

"This year, the most important thing is to stay healthy and to prepare really well physically. Of course, our main focus is Roland Garros, he needs to be ready to give it his all there. He can do it. Nadal is the favorite on clay as long as he can walk, but if Novak is mentally up for it, he can beat anyone," he said.

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Alcaraz, Zverev, Tsitsipas biggest competitors on clay after Nadal: Novak Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic

Novak Djokovic (L) and Goran Ivanisevic

In the conversation with the aforementioned publication, Goran Ivanisevic was asked to name players other than Rafael Nadal who could pose a problem for Novak Djokovic on clay. The former Wimbledon winner picked Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Stefanos Tsitsiapas.

"Carlos Alcaraz, first and foremost. [Alexander] Zverev played a terrific Roland-Garros last year until the injury. [Stefanos] Tsitsipas is there as well, a former finalist," Ivanisevic said.

"There are a lot of guys hungry for success, who want it badly and believe that they can do it, only to the point where they see that they can’t [laughs]. It’s going to be an interesting clay court season, but for us, the most important thing is to peak in Paris," he added.

After withdrawing from the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Djokovic will be hoping to get an exemption to play the Miami Open, which begins on March 22.