Novak Djokovic accepts late wildcard entry into Geneva Open

The 24-time Grand Slam winner will take part in the  ATP 250 tournament with the move coming on the back of his withdrawal from the Italian Open.

The world No 6 will join Taylor Fritz (No 4), Casper Ruud (No 7), Grigor Dimitrov (No 15) and Tomas Machac (No 20) as the highest-ranked players in the draw at the event.

It is certainly a move away from the traditional schedule for the top-ranked players as they often prefer not to play competitive matches the before a Grand Slam.

Djokovic will start the tournament on a three-match losing streak as he lost in the final of the Miami Open and followed it up with defeats in his opening matches at the Monte Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open.

Having played only two competitive matches on clay â- one each in Monte Carlo and Madrid â- his decision to skip the Rome ATP Masters 1000 event raised eyebrows as many felt he was undercooked on the surface.

But Djokovic has maintained in recent years that his main focus is the Grand Slams and he hopes to peak at Roland Garros.

"I was hoping I can play one more match than I played in Monte Carlo," he said after his defeat to Matteo Arnaldi in Madrid.

"Kind of new reality for me, I have to say. You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament.

"It's a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis, so itâ™s kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face these kind of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments.

"But, you know, that's, I guess, the circle of life and the career (smiling), eventually it was going to happen.

"Now I'm trying to, you know, use this as a driving force for the future. Obviously Grand Slams, I was saying many times, are the most important tournaments for me."

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