PARIS -- Novak Djokovic said he has "low expectations and high hopes" for the French Open as he seeks to win his 25th Grand Slam men's singles title at Roland Garros.
Reigning champion Djokovic comes to Paris with the billing as one of the tournament favorites but has suffered six defeats this season in 20 matches.
He reached the semifinal of the Australian Open, but after a tricky clay-court season, he said he was "worried" about his form after a semifinal defeat to Tomas Machac in Geneva on Friday. He said after that loss: "I haven't played well at all this year, apart from a few matches here and there. I don't see myself as a favorite in Paris."
At his pre-tournament news conference Sunday, he said he was trying to focus day by day as he seeks to improve his form. And having said he had "low expectations" for the next fortnight, he then elaborated on those feelings.
"It's tough to talk about. It's very subjective," Djokovic said. "You know, I almost feel a bit embarrassed to say what my expectations are. You know, anything but a title for me is not satisfactory, you know. So, it always has been like that. I know, you know, it might sound arrogant to a lot of people, but I think I have the career that backs it up.
"In a way, me playing still at this highest level, one of the major reasons is trying to, you know, write more history of the sport and win the biggest titles that, you know, Paris is definitely one of them.
"So that's why my hopes and goals are always the same, but I have to lower the expectations. When I say that I mean, you know, maybe not thinking too much ahead in advance in terms of the tournament and who I might face in the later rounds, but really taking it day by day, step by step, and really building my game. Because that's what I have really been struggling with, not really playing in a consistently good level."
Djokovic was also asked about how he felt physically and said there were distractions he was dealing with.
"It's various things that were happening in the last couple of months, but I don't want to get into it. I hope you understand that. It's just I don't want to open Pandora's Box and talk about things.
"[I] just really try to focus myself on what needs to be done. What has happened, happened, and it's in the past. It's something that I can't affect anymore, but I can kind of learn to rectify certain things and right the certain things that are wrong and really not serving the purpose of my highest performance level. So that's what we have been working on as a team, and hopefully it will give us good results here."
Djokovic is set to start his French Open campaign against Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Tuesday as he looks to add to his three men's singles titles here at Roland Garros.
"I would say that I know what I'm capable of, and particularly in the Grand Slams I normally play the best tennis, at least I aim always to play the best tennis. I was most of my career able to do that, so that's the goal.
"I have been saying for quite a while that in terms of clay I want to peak here in Paris, in Roland Garros. Last year I had an amazing year, and particularly here in Roland Garros, and hopefully I can, yeah, have a great tournament.
"Of course it does affect me, the five months that I had so far in the year that haven't been great in terms of my tennis. That's why I have a kind of an approach that is focused on a daily basis more trying to build the form and momentum so that I can have a better chance to reach further in the tournament."