Tennis commentator Paolo Bertolucci has asserted that the signs are “not good at all” for Novak Djokovic after the Serbian’s French Open injury blow.
The former world No 12 feels Djokovic is close to the end of his career and expects the tennis legend to miss the Paris Olympics.
Djokovic was forced to withdraw from Roland Garros ahead of his quarter-final match with Casper Ruud due to an injury he suffered in his previous match.
The 37-year-old tore the medial meniscus in his right knee in the second set of his five-set fourth round victory against Francisco Cerundolo.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion underwent surgery on his knee before leaving Paris and has expressed his desire to return to action “as soon as possible.”
Djokovic is widely expected to miss the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, which will get underway on July 1, while his participation at the Olympics is also uncertain. The tennis event at the 2024 Games will be played at Stade Roland Garros from July 27 to August 4.
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In an interview with Fanpage.it, Bertolucci shared his thoughts on Djokovic’s prospects after his injury setback.
“The signs are not good at all, the level of play is not that of a year, a year and a half ago (translated from Italian),” assessed the former Davis Cup winner.
“In other words, he is towards the end of his career and can find the set, the points, the game, the moment to phenomenon that he is. But he cannot be the hammer he was years ago.
“And then, now it depends on the motivations: he had those of the Slams and the Olympics. The first faded immediately, as we saw in Paris where, however, he was not in condition and in the more he got hurt.
“Now I assume he’ll miss the Olympics and if they don’t go well I think he’ll have to think carefully. He might not even qualify for the Turin Finals. I think about it 100 times.”
The Italian also discussed the possibility of Rafael Nadal continuing to play beyond this season.
“Judging what he does is difficult,” Bertolucci said. “If he lacks adrenaline and still wants to play, why not?
“Then there will be someone who will criticise his choice to lose to inferior players, while there will be those who will praise him because it will underline his humility Let’s leave it to him, out of respect for what he was. Everything he does will be fine.”
The 11 ATP players with the most grass-court titles: Roger Federer top, Novak Djokovic joint-fifth