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Novak Djokovic - Wimbledon 2024
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Novak Djokovic ranks knee surgery comeback ‘right at the top’ of career achievements


Novak Djokovic has explained the process that led to him undergoing knee surgery, claiming that recovering in time for Wimbledon is one of his best career achievements.

Djokovic underwent surgery on his right knee on 5th June, after tearing his meniscus in a five set win over Francisco Cerundolo at Roland Garros.

And when speaking to the Tennis Channel, Djokovic spoke about where this comeback ranks in his career and detailed the advice that led to him going under the knife, “Right at the top, maybe two or three, in terms of the time required for me to come back to the desired level.”

The World No.2 continued, “It was the first time that I’ve faced this kind of knee injury. I had never had a major knee injury, and unfortunately, injured myself mid-match in the fourth round at Roland-Garros. I tore my meniscus and a part of it had to be taken out, which was obviously not where it’s supposed to be.

“I decided along with my team members to go to have an arthroscopic intervention literally a day or two days after that match. The reason why is that I was advising myself with all the orthopaedic doctors around the world that I know, and my team knows, and they all said the same thing. They were for once unanimous in their opinion that it has to be operated and that the recovery time would be much quicker than if I had not operated.”

After Alex de Minaur withdrew from their quarter-final due to injury, Djokovic progressed to a 13th Wimbledon semi-final.

The 37-year-old has since offered his condolences to the Australian, as well as speaking about how pleased he is with his own level at SW19.

“The last couple of matches I played were great,” claimed Djokovic. “I started off Wimbledon with a convincing first-round win. The second round I struggled to find the right level or movement that I really needed.

“But towards the end of the third-round match, which was another close one, and the entire fourth round against Rune was fantastic. The way I felt on the court, the way I was striking the ball.”

The seven-time Wimbledon champion added, “I’m excited to keep on playing, to be in another semi-final. Obviously, it’s not great for the tournament and it’s never great to go through with a withdrawal of a player and I wish Alex all the best in terms of recovery and that he can come back to the court.”

Djokovic will look to continue his bid for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title tomorrow, when he takes on Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-final.

Inside the baseline…

It truly has been a miraculous recovery from Novak Djokovic, and it is very interesting to hear the Serbian speak about the process that led to him undergoing knee surgery last month. Before Wimbledon this year, many were unsure how well Djokovic would be able to pull up in his first tournament since the operation, but it appears now that it would be more of a surprise if he did not reach a 10th final at the grass court major.

READ MORE: Alex de Minaur ‘devastated’ to withdraw from Wimbledon quarter-final with Novak Djokovic

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Matthew Johns, Tennishead Writer, is a professional tennis journalist with a specialist degree in Sports Journalism. He's a keen tennis player having represented his local club and University plus he's also a qualified tennis coach. Matthew has a deep knowledge of tennis especially the ATP Tour and thrives on breaking big tennis news stories for Tennishead.