After his knee issue reappeared, Novak Djokovic said he is “extremely nervous” ahead of the major 2024 Paris Olympics semifinal match.
When playing Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round of the French Open two months ago, Djokovic tore a meniscus in his right knee. He repeatedly slipped on the court, exacerbating the damage.
Even though Djokovic continued to play and prevailed in five sets, the match ended in a pyrrhic win. He had an MRI the next day, which showed how much damage had been done to his knee.
The Serb pulled out of the clay-court major, giving up his championship defence, in order to undergo surgery right away. His doctor said he was not going to play Wimbledon.
However, like he has consistently done throughout his career, he overcame the odds. He overcame the knee injury this time, and he participated in the grass-court Grand Slam. Despite having no expectations going into the tournament, he made it to the final.
Djokovic would fall to Carlos Alcaraz, and the player’s quest for the season’s first championship would go on. The 37-year-old was back to his fluid best during the Olympics, after at times appearing languid during the Wimbledon final.
During the first three rounds, he easily won without displaying any physical discomfort. He struck the ball with pure intent. But in their quarterfinal, Stefanos Tsitsipas exposed Djokovic’s movement in his first test of the competition.
It’s possible that the Greek’s ability to stretch Djokovic and add pace to his forehand hurt his knee. In the second set, the former World No. 1 was clearly in discomfort and even called for a trainer while competing while wearing a protective knee brace.
In the second set, Djokovic was behind by a double break and had three set points (0-40 on the Tsitsipas serve, 3-5). However, his opponent was unable to finish the set, and astonishingly, the top seed overcame discomfort to win 6-3, 7-6.
The Serbian player revealed to media during the match that he felt the same “severe” discomfort in the surgically repaired knee as he had during the fourth-round encounter at the French Open.
Djokovic Unfollows His Contentious Persona After Reaction from Fans, Andrew Tate
Djokovic Unfollows His Contentious Persona Tate Andrew Following Backlash from Fans
Regretfully, Djokovic did not slip during the match against Tsitsipas, so he is unsure of how the injury occurred. He is “worried,” but he is also happy with the victory, which means he is still chasing that first gold medal.
“To be honest, I am so scared that I am at a loss for words. After I won the match, the excruciating ache subsided. I’m not even sure if I slipped or hurt myself.”
“It all felt like the fourth round of Roland Garros, when I was injured but yet managed to finish the match. Although I am happy with the outcome, I am concerned.
After defeating Tsitsipas, Djokvoic advanced to the semifinals, where he faced Lorenzo Musetti. The Italian has been in excellent form lately, making it to both the Umag final and his first Wimbledon semifinal last month (where he was defeated by Djokovic). He eliminated any worries about weariness by defeating Alexader Zverev in straight sets.
Leave a Reply