Novak Djokovic responds when asked if Grand Slams still mean as much to him as they used to

Novak Djokovic is preparing to compete in the final Masters 1000 event of 2026.

The Serbian superstar, a winner of 24 Grand Slam titles, will play against Basel Open champion Valentin Vacherot in the Paris Masters first round.

Despite only competing in 10 ATP events across the year, Djokovic remains in contention for an ATP Finals place.

This is largely down to Djokovic’s good performances at Grand Slam events; the Serb reached the final in Melbourne and the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

Ahead of the Paris Masters, Djokovic discussed where the Grand Slams sit on his list of priorities.

Novak Djokovic discusses how he now feels about Grand Slam events

“Grand Slams remain, of course, the most important tournaments we have. I mean, for me, and I think for 99 per cent of the players, they are, you know, the pillars, the historic pillars of our sport of where you want to play your best tennis and make your name known in the history books of tennis,” Djokovic told reporters in Paris on Monday.

“So, you know, I still want to do my best in Slams, but, you know, of course I also would like to play well in other tournaments.

“This year the kind of focus shifted on feeling well on the court rather than playing well, to be honest, because for most of the tournaments that I played, I didn’t play many, it was health-wise a big struggle. Physically, you know, just struggled a lot.

“Had nothing to do with my preparation or whether I’m training enough, because I see there are a lot of people that love to express their expert opinion on knowing exactly what’s happening with me, but they don’t.”

Djokovic has struggled with an underlying health condition over the past year or so, inhibiting his ability to play long, drawn-out matches at Grand Slam events.

This issue was particularly evident during Djokovic’s stunning first-round loss at the US Open – his first loss in the first round of a major since 2006.

Djokovic, thankfully, appears to have made significant progress in curing said illness.

“But nevertheless, you know, as I said, whenever I kind of felt better on the court, and lately that has been the case, we’re really getting closer to solving what I have been going through in the last 12 months,” the Serbian star added.

“So, you know, right away my performance level, my enjoyment on the court, my feeling is great, and I play better.

“Beijing was the best week of the year, other than Australia, and I thought I played pretty well in Basel, as well.

Novak Djokovic’s 2026 Grand Slam results

• Australian Open: defeated Jannik Sinner en route to the final before losing to Carlos Alcaraz
• Roland Garros: Joao Fonseca fought back from two sets down to defeat Djokovic in the third round
• Wimbledon: Jannik Sinner ended Djokovic’s run in the semi-finals, triumphing in straight sets
• US Open: Djokovic was stunned in the first round by Thiago Agustin Tirante

“Of course that was a tight match to lose [to Jan-Lennard Struff], but yeah, you know, just trying to enjoy the last couple weeks of the season and on the court feeling better primarily, as I said. And then the performance will come. Yeah, we’ll see after that.”

Novak Djokovic faces a tough test in his opening Paris Masters contest

Djokovic, seeded 10th, will play Valentin Vacherot in the first round of the Paris Masters

Vacherot has been in great form of late, as evidenced by his title-winning campaign in Basel, Switzerland.

The Monegasque player is no stranger to triumphing on the big stage – demonstrated by his Shanghai Masters title win in 2025 – and Djokovic will certainly need to be wary of a potential upset heading into Tuesday’s contest.

The winner of Djokovic and Vacherot will play qualifier Rinky Hijikata in the second round. Hijikata, from Australia, defeated Luciano Darderi in his first-round match.