DJOKOVIC PLANS TO PEAK IN PARIS

Stark warning to rivals, as he says Madrid wasn’t in strategy while Rome is part of it

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ROME - World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has sent a warning to his rivals, saying that he believes he will be in top form for the French Open and hopes to prove that at the ongoing Italian Open.

He said in Rome on May 8 that his focus is on Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Paris Olympic Games and he had strategic reasons for skipping the recent Madrid event.

"It was not part of the schedule. The plan was to come here. That's basically it," said the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who is still seeking his first trophy of the season.

Djokovic, who turns 37 on May 22, just before the French Open gets under way on May 26, said he hoped to perform better than he did in his last tournament, the Monte Carlo Masters, where he lost to Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.

"I'm on a good route to peak at Roland Garros in Paris," he said. "Hopefully, here in Rome I can play better than I did in Monte Carlo. "The wish is always to go far, but let's see."

As the Italian Open top seed, the Serb - who has won here six times - has a bye in the first round.