Taylor Fritz claims ‘it’s possible’ for Novak Djokovic to play Wimbledon
Taylor Fritz has revealed that Novak Djokovic has reached out to him since undergoing knee surgery, drawing comparisons to his own experience.
Djokovic tore his medial meniscus at Roland Garros, during the Serbian’s fourth round victory over Francisco Cerundolo.
As a result of the injury, Djokovic was forced to withdraw from the tournament and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee the following day.
… as well as the overwhelming support I have received from my fans.
I’m going to do my best to be healthy and fit to return to the court as soon as possible.
My love for this sport is strong and the desire to compete at the highest level is what keeps me going. Idemooo ????????
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 6, 2024
Knee injuries are something that American No.1 Fritz knows all too well, having required surgery following Roland Garros in 2021, when he was taken off the court in a wheelchair.
And Fritz has revealed what he told Djokovic when the 24-time major winner reached out to him, “I told him what it was like for me. A lot of it comes down to the inflammation and how you react.
“It’s possible for Novak to play [Wimbledon]. It’s the exact same thing that I had and I played. Obviously, I wasn’t contending to win a title, I was just showing up to hopefully win a couple of rounds – but it is possible.”
Since undergoing knee surgery, Djokovic has posted social media footage of him training in the gym, but has yet to give any indication on his return to the court.
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Fritz continued to explain to Tennis365 about the likelihood of Djokovic playing at Wimbledon, that begins in under two weeks time.
“When I did it I couldn’t even walk. People are different. It’s the same actual injury. It really comes down to the level of inflammation,” said Djokovic. “You pretty much have your full strength immediately [after surgery]. It’s more just the inflammation from the surgery. As long as you can get that down and start playing without it puffing up again, you’re actually going to be fine to play.”
The world No.12 continued, “I was doing three-four hours of PT [physiotherapy], a lot of icing, trying to stick to a diet which was not going to cause extra inflammation because I was real determined to play Wimbledon.
“But for me it was a little bit different. If Novak goes to Wimbledon he wants to be there to win. Playing a whole tournament is different than me at the time going there. I was going to be a low seed anyway. Winning a couple of rounds was a solid result for me.”
Djokovic has under a fortnight to prepare for Wimbledon, that gets underway on Monday 1st July.
There has been some promising news for Djokovic this week, after he was announced as part of Serbia’s team for his fifth Olympic Games.
IDEMOOOO! ????
Serbia have announced their men’s singles’ players for #Paris2024 ????
Will we see a Serb on the medal podium in a few months time? ???? pic.twitter.com/ohNChyrhDI
— ITF (@ITFTennis) June 19, 2024
Inside the baseline…
It is very interesting that Novak Djokovic reached out to Taylor Fritz, but it really makes sense given the parallels between the type and timing of their respective injuries. Although Fritz has suggested that Wimbledon could be doable for Djokovic, it seems more likely that he would skip the grass major to prioritise the Olympics, with a gold medal one of the only things missing from the Serbian’s trophy cabinet.
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