Novak Djokovic insists he can handle the pressure of winning a first French Open title because he is playing the best tennis of his life.
Djokovic has eight grand slam titles to his name but success at Roland Garros has so far eluded the Serb, who has lost twice in the final to Rafael Nadal.
This year, however, Djokovic arrives in Paris with the edge over his Spanish rival, having won the Australian Open, four of the five Masters tournaments and put together a run of 22 unbeaten matches.
The pair were placed in the same quarter of the draw, meaning they could meet as early as the last eight, but Djokovic believes he is ready for the challenge.
“There is always a little bit of extra motivation for me coming here at Roland Garros,” Djokovic, who plays Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen in round one today, told reporters.
“It is obviously very encouraging knowing that I have won all of the big events from last October, and playing some of the best tennis in my life.
“Coming into Roland Garros with that amount of confidence helps, it encourages me to step on the court and compete.
“I have had this particular situation before, and especially in the last two years, where I was coming here and people were speculating, ‘is this the year or not?’, thinking about how far I can go and whether I can win the title or not.
“I was close a few times. I didn’t manage to do it, but that doesn’t discourage me to keep going.”
Djokovic’s record this year against his fiercest rivals is particularly impressive.
In 15 matches against opponents ranked in the top 10, Djokovic has won 14 and in the seven games against players in the top five, he has won six.
It is a record he may need to maintain given the two-time Wimbledon champion could face Nadal and then Andy Murray in the last four, before even reaching the final in Paris.
“I just feel more complete as a player in terms of handling my emotions on the court and finding a way to win the tough matches,” Djokovic said.
“Physically I’ve matured and just mentally I know what to do, how to approach big tournaments, big matches, and how to keep that consistency going and not have too many ups and downs.”
Nadal has endured the worst build-up to the French Open of his career, having failed to win any of the four European clay-court tournaments he has played.
Losses to Djokovic and Murray, and most surprisingly Stan Waw-rinka and Fabio Fognini, have many believing Nadal’s five-year hold on the French Open crown will come to an end.
“It’s obvious that I’ve had more ups and downs,” said Nadal, who opens up against French wild card Quentin Halys at midday today.
“It’s not terrible but if we compare with other years, it obviously looks bad. That’s always going to happen when you achieve a lot in the past.
“My feelings are good. When you lose more than other years it’s obvious the confidence is a little bit less. But the positive thing is I started again in January after a tough second half of the year last year and I have improved a lot.
“Let’s try my best here. Let’s try to play a great tournament here. I think I can do it.”