LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Novak Djokovic of Serbia poses for a photo with the trophy following his … [+]
When Novak Djokovic underwent meniscus surgery on June 6, it was widely assumed that he wouldn’t be able to play Wimbledon beginning July 1.
For the average person, recovery from such surgery can take up to six months.
But the 37-year-old Serb appears to be defying odds and may wind up playing the Grand Slam tournament where he has won seven of his 24 major titles. He is back practicing on grass with a brace on his right knee less than three weeks removed from surgery.
He reportedly played two practice tiebreaks with Argentina’s Federico Coria, winning one and losing the other.
“It would sure be interesting if Djokovic can get through a round or two and look like the Djokovic we’ve come to know at Wimbledon,” ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe said Tuesday on a conference call with reporters. “It would sure make this interesting.”
Djokovic says his body feels good and he will make a decision soon about this status for the grass court major.
“I didn’t come here to play a few rounds,” he told reporters.
“I’m going to play if I really know. I’m going to take it day-by-day and then make a decision based on the conclusion that I and team members have made.
‘The feelings after surgery I had was always going to try to make Wimbledon, even though many people think it’s maybe not realistic or not smart.”
Taylor Fritz, who underwent a similar surgery in 2021 and returned for Wimbledon, said he’s not surprised Djokovic is returning now.
“I’m not surprised,” Fritz told Tennis Weekly. “I think he has more recovery time than I did, actually…He’s going to have a whole extra week than I did so I think it’s likely. So it’s definitely not surprising that he’s able to light hit up the middle right now. That’s not surprising.”
Playing Wimbledon would not be without risk for Djokovic, who also hopes to play the Olympics on clay at Roland Garros July 27-Aug. 4. If he has a setback on the grass, it could jeopardize not only the Olympics, but the U.S. Open and other tournaments going forward.
It’s been a busy few days for Djokovic, who also attended the Denmark-Serbia UEFA
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Djokovic withdrew from Roland Garros ahead of his quarterfinal match with Casper Ruud after injuring the knee in his five-set fourth-round victory over Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina. His previous match against Lorenzo Musetti also lasted 4 1/2 hours and finished after 3 a.m. local time.
He then had surgery the following day.
Heading into Wimbledon, Patrick McEnroe likes defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, the newly-minted Roland Garros champion, to repeat.
“I think Alcaraz is the guy but I think [Jannik] Snner is right there with him,” McEnroe said.