Djokovic takes Geneva wild card to halt slump

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic waves to fans as he leaves the court after being defeated by Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo at the Men’s ATP Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 12, 2024. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

World number one Novak Djokovic has taken a wild card to play in the Geneva ATP tournament next week in a bid to rescue an alarming dip in form ahead of his French Open title defense.

Djokovic, who will turn 37 on Wednesday, joins the likes of three-time major winner Andy Murray and seventh-ranked Casper Ruud at the Swiss clay court event.

“He will enter in the second round, either on Tuesday or Wednesday,” a spokesman for the tournament told AFP with the Serb star likely to enjoy a bye in the first round.

READ: Djokovic to undergo scans as shock Rome exit follows bottle drama

Djokovic, the winner of a men’s record 24 Grand Slam titles, is enduring a nightmare season by his high standards.

He has yet to reach a final on the tour in 2024 let alone win a title with his best performance being a run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open and Monte Carlo Masters.

He was knocked out of the Rome Open in the third round by unheralded Alejandro Tabilo of Chile last weekend.

READ: Djokovic says he is ready to peak at French Open

Djokovic was also injured at the Italian venue when he was accidentally hit on the head by water bottle while signing autographs.

He had initially laughed off the incident and even arrived at a training session wearing a cycling crash helmet.

However, he then revealed that he had been suffering nausea and dizzy spells.

Djokovic will be chasing his 99th tour-level title at the Swiss tournament.