Novak Djokovic is finally stepping back onto the court at the Italian Open this week, marking his first appearance since a surprising early exit in March. The tennis legend hasn't played since his round of 16 loss to Jack Draper at Indian Wells, but he's using this ATP Masters 1000 event as the perfect warm-up for Roland Garros, which kicks off later this month.

Djokovic will face either Marton Fucsovics or Dino Prizmic in his opening match in Rome. While some players might struggle with rust after such a long break, former pros are backing the Serb's unique ability to hit the ground running—a rare trait that could make all the difference on the clay courts of Paris.

Speaking to the Tennis Channel, Sam Querrey dismissed any concerns about Djokovic's lack of match play. "Nothing. This has kind of been the storyline for Novak the last two years. He's taken these large chunks of time off, even before Australia this year, going back to the end of last year. Didn't play, didn't play, didn't play a warm-up to Australia, and then what did he do? He made the final." Querrey added, "I think for Novak, he's probably the one player that it doesn't matter that he doesn't have a lot of matches coming into this event. I think he's going to be just fine."

Tracy Austin echoed that sentiment, pointing out how rare that level of confidence is in the sport. "Yeah, there have been a few players in history—very few. I think Roger Federer was one; I think Serena Williams was one. And then I think Novak, for me, just at the top of my head. It's amazing. Has won so many titles. What is he at? 101 titles? So to take that much time off, you think maybe he's going to feel a little bit rusty. But he's won here six times. He's won Roland Garros three times."

With Carlos Alcaraz out of both events due to a wrist injury, the door is wide open for Djokovic to make a deep run. The two last faced off in the Australian Open final earlier this year, where Alcaraz claimed the title with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 victory. Despite limited action in 2024, Djokovic still holds an impressive 7-2 record, and he'll look to build on that momentum in Rome with potential early matchups against Ugo Humbert or Karen Khachanov.

As Austin put it, "I think everybody's just really excited to have Novak back in the mix. And now that Carlos is not there—what could happen?"