LONDON — Not surprised, Novak Djokovic was skeptical that he could win Wimbledon less than a month after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
“I was just thinking about moving well (and) not injuring myself,” stated the gentleman.
After his first three matches at the All England Club, Djokovic realized, “OK, I’m actually playing close to my best, and I can have a shot at the title.”
Novak Djokovic Is 37 And Had Knee Surgery Last Month But Faces Carlos Alcaraz In The Wimbledon Final
He’s now just one victory away from his eighth Wimbledon title, which would tie Roger Federer for the most by a man, and his 25th Grand Slam trophy overall, more than any other tennis player in history. Will not be easy: On Sunday, Djokovic will meet reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon final; Kate, the Princess of Wales, is expected to make a rare public appearance following her cancer diagnosis.
“History is on the line,” Djokovic said of the significant milestones at stake for him. “Of course, it provides fantastic incentive, but it also adds a lot of pressure and expectations. Even though I am 37 years old and fighting against 21-year-olds, I expect to win the majority of the matches I play. People anticipate me to win 99% of the matches I play.”
It’s unlikely that many expected him to win enough to make it to the final day of this fortnight — at least not on June 3, when he injured his knee at the French Open. Or on June 4, when he withdrew from his quarterfinal match in that competition, where he was the defending champion. Or on June 5, the day he underwent the operation in Paris.
Nonetheless, during Roland Garros, Alcaraz emphasized Djokovic’s previous history of recovering from injuries: “He comes back stronger and faster.” On the eve of Wimbledon, Alcaraz praised Djokovic as “superhuman” for his ability to return to action.
Djokovic expressed optimism after texting with Taylor Fritz, an American who hurt his meniscus at the 2021 French Open and participated at Wimbledon three weeks later.
Fritz was on a trip home from Paris this year when he received a message from Djokovic inquiring about the treatment and recovery, followed by another email requesting additional information following the surgery.
“If he took anything away from what I said, it was probably confidence in his ability to accomplish it. I answered, ‘Actually, you’ll be astonished at how fantastic you feel so soon. “You wouldn’t expect it,” Fritz replied. “I said, ‘It’s painful. It’s very uncomfortable. “But you can play through it.”
So that is what Djokovic did.
And by the time he defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the semifinals on Friday, Djokovic was pain-free and moving normally while wearing a gray sleeve around his knee.
Overall, second-seeded Djokovic has had a disappointing season. Not only has he never won a title, but he has never made it to a tournament final until today.
None of that counts on Sunday when he will try to prevent third-seeded Alcaraz from winning his fourth Grand Slam title.
Novak Djokovic Is 37 And Had Knee Surgery Last Month But Faces Carlos Alcaraz In The Wimbledon Final
“I know how it’s going to feel playing against Djokovic…. I know what I have to do,” said Alcaraz, who defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the semis. “I’m sure he knows what he has to do to beat me.”
Alcaraz, 21, is 3-0 in major finals.
That includes a five-set win over Djokovic at Wimbledon a year ago and victories at the US Open in 2022 and the French Open last month.
“He’s a highly complete player. What he’s accomplished at such a young age is impressive. “Probably all of us agree that he will win many Slams in his career,” Djokovic remarked Friday night. “I hope he’ll give me this one in two days, and we’ll see. After that, I will root for him.”
SOURCE | AP
