Madrid Open: Inconsistent Novak Djokovic admits he's not one of the favourites

Djokovic stated on several occasions last year that he was lacking the desire to compete in regular ATP Tour events, with his decision to pull of several events confirming his focus was now trained on Grand Slam tournaments.

Yet that approach has changed dramatically in recent months, with Djokovic playing in a tour event in Qatar in February and then spending most of March in America as he played at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters.

He then played at the Monte Carlo Masters, losing his first match against Alejandro Tabilo and describing his performance as 'horrible'.

Despite that loss earlier this month, Djokovic has arrived in Madrid with coach Andy Murray alongside him and when asked by Eurosport Spain to describe his levels of motivation, he offered an intriguing answer.

Djokovic was asked if the retirement of his great rivals Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Murray had impacted his own desire to fight on in the sport and he insisted he would not be in Madrid if his motivation had evaporated.

"If I'm not motivated, I'm not here. I don't play anymore. I put the racket to rest," he said.

"I still feel the desire to play, the passion to compete is always there. I hope to push harder. The Grand Slams are tournaments where I have more motivation to do well."

He was also asked to asses his chance of success in Madrid, as he admitted his ambitions are a lower than they used to be.

"I'm always optimistic, but I don't know if I'm one of the favourites because I'm not having very good results this year," he added.

"The level I'm looking for could come here or at Roland Garros, I hope it will be here.

"I always have very good feelings when I return to Madrid, to Spain. It's a country I love very much. I've won the Madrid Open three times in my career, with extraordinary matches against Nadal and [Carlos] Alcaraz.

"I've played little here in the last six to seven years, but I missed the Spanish public, because they know the sport well and respect tennis a lot. I have a good feeling and I hope to have a good tournament."

Djokovic has been enjoying his time in Madrid ahead of his opening match of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, after he attended a Real Madrid soccer match at the Bernabeu on Sunday and then was in attendance at the Laureus Sports Awards on Monday evening.

He has also been practising at the Madrid Open venue, with Murray's presence as part of his coaching team evidence of his desire to impress as he looks to finally win the 100th title of his remarkable career.

READ MORE: Jack Draper comes to defence of Jannik Sinner in wake of doping ban