Novak Djokovic has revealed even his own wife has questioned whether he should be playing Wimbledon so soon after undergoing knee surgery, but the tennis superstar is intent on giving it a go. Djokovic had surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee just four weeks ago, which saw him withdraw from the French Open before his quarter-final.
He previously stated that he’d only play Wimbledon if he thought he could win the title, and it appears as though it’s heading that way. The 37-year-old revealed on Saturday that he’d tested his knee to the maximum since arriving in London and is confident he will be ready for his opening match at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
“When that happened in the fourth round of Roland Garros, I made a very quick decision to make surgery, I was very much in doubt of making Wimbledon,” he told reporters on Saturday. “I arrived here on Sunday. It’s been a week of training. Very good week of training. I had, particularly the last three days, very intense tennis sessions.
“I had points, practice sets played with (Jannik) Sinner, with Frances Tiafoe, with (Daniil) Medvedev yesterday, and Emil Ruusuvuori and then today with (Holger) Rune, as well. Really top players that are playing great tennis on grass. High intensity. Lots of situations on the court where the knee is tested to almost the maximum.
“The knee has responded very well to all of that so far, which, of course, then is a great sign for my participation in Wimbledon. That’s why I decided to be in the draw.”
Djokovic admitted that wife Jelena has expressed her concerns about him playing the grass-court grand slam, and questioned why he feels the need to play rather than rest up before the Olympics next month. “My wife also kind of asked the same question, right? Which is normal,” he said. “(You are) 37 years old, you want to maybe have less risk and prepare yourself for the Olympic Games?”
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The 24-time grand slam champion admitted he doesn’t want to look back at the end of his career and rue any missed opportunities at majors. The Serbian star has the most grand slam titles in men’s tennis history, and is tied with Margaret Court for the all-time record (men and women) with 24.
“I do have something that is described as a feeling of not missing out at a grand slam while I can still play and while I’m still active and at this level,” he said. “(But) I wouldn’t call it a fear of missing out. I would just say it’s this incredible desire to play, just to compete, particularly because it is Wimbledon, the tournament that always has been a dream tournament for me when I was a kid.
“Just the thought of me missing Wimbledon was just not correct. I didn’t want to deal with that. If I had one setback, I would be then questioning whether I should be here or not. But I haven’t had a single one. Why not give it a shot?”
Djokovic will open his bid for a men’s record-equalling eighth Wimbledon crown on Tuesday against Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva. Great rival Roger Federer holds the men’s record for most titles at the All England Club. The Serbian star is on a collision course with Australian ninth seed Alex de Minaur, who he will face in the quarter-finals if they both make it that far.
with agencies
