Djokovic takes the wildcard from Geneva to halt the slump

GENEVA:

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

Djokovic, who turns 37 on Wednesday, will join three-time major winner Andy Murray and seventh-ranked Casper Ruud at the Swiss clay event.

“He will compete in the second round on Tuesday or Wednesday,” a tournament spokesperson told AFP, with the Serbian star likely to get a bye in the first round.

Djokovic, the winner of a men’s record 24 Grand Slam titles, is having 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 reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open and Monte Carlo Masters.

He was eliminated in the third round last weekend by the unknown Alejandro Tabilo from Chile.

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

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

However, he then revealed that he was experiencing nausea and dizziness.

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