The Serbian tennis ace begins his clay court season at the event this week but admits that he might take some time to acclimatise to the red dirt as he starts his preparations for the French Open.

Djokovic - who reached the final on the hard courts of the Miami Open recently - told discovery+: "Let's see if I can carry that onto clay.

"It's obviously a completely different surface and I didn't have much time to get used to this tournament, so my expectations are not really high for the results here.

"It's more about trying to get matches and as many as possible, and obviously try to peak towards the end of the clay season which is, of course, most importantly in Paris."

Djokovic admits that he has found it hard transferring from hard court to clay court in the past.

He said: "I've been struggling over the years to find the best game for the opening week of the clay.

"I think I'm the kind of player that as I play more matches on this surface, I get better. The first weeks and first tournaments on clay are quite unpredictable, so my expectations are not very high."

The 24-time Grand Slam winner revealed that his preparations for the event have been hampered by an eye infection that caused him issues in his Miami Open final loss.

Djokovic explained: "It started on semi-finals day in Miami and I did struggle with it in the final, but it's calming down, I guess.

"I'm visiting the doctor later today, so let's see. It should be okay.

"I was going to be here with the family anyway. I wanted to give myself the best chance to play in the tournament.

"I have a few more days until the eventual first round. I am still trying to get used to the clay; still managing a few things health-wise. Hopefully I'll be ready."