Novak Djokovic is confident his poor recent run of form will improve ahead of the French Open.

The former world number one, whose last Grand Slam crown came at the 2016 edition of Roland Garros, has struggled since returning to the tour at the start of the year and had surgery on his long-term elbow injury after the Australian Open.

More recently, the Serb, who has won 12 major titles, slumped to a shock defeat against Slovakian qualifier, World No.122 Martin Klizan, in the second round of the Barcelona Open – meaning he has failed to reach the last eight in any of the five tournaments he has played in 2018.

But, despite this, Djokovic believes his elbow problems are fixed and behind him, admitting that he has been playing virtually pain-free for the past month.

“I still want to continue tennis at the highest level. I am very motivated and I have always aimed high and this hasn’t changed,” the 30-year-old told reporters at his training base in Belgrade on Wednesday.

“I believe that things will sort themselves out very soon and I hope for some better results in the next few weeks.”

Djokovic added: “Basically it is now all about improving my fitness.”

Having split from coaches Radek Stepanek and tennis legend Andre Agassi last month, Djokovic has rekindled his relationship with long-time ally Marian Vajda – a man who has been a trusted figure within his team for many years.

Djokovic is scheduled to play the Madrid Open next week, where he has twice won before, and then the Italian Open straight after, according to his official website.

The French Open then commences on May 27.

Djokovic, who is currently ranked number 12 in the world, said: “We have made plans until the end of the clay season – three more tournaments ending with Roland Garros.”

“After that we will sit down again … and make further plans.”