WIMBLEDON, England — Novak Djokovic’s right knee has responded so well after surgery less than a month to repair a torn meniscus that he said Saturday he thinks he’s ready to win Wimbledon, where he has won seven of his 24 Grand Slam titles.
And he’s not going to adjust the way he plays to protect his knee.
“I’m not going to hold back, I’m not going to calculate or be a little bit cautious with my moves. I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Djokovic said at his pre-tournament press conference on Saturday. “I’m really going to give it my all. I’m going to give it my all. That’s the way I’ve played my career so far.”
When a reporter asked Djokovic why he would risk returning to the court so soon after surgery, he said his wife had asked him the exact same question.
Djokovic, who has yet to reach the final of any tournament in 2024, spoke of his “incredible desire to play and just to compete”, adding that Wimbledon in particular has held a special place in his heart since he was a child.
So, Djokovic continued, “the idea of missing Wimbledon was wrong. I didn’t want to deal with that.”
He explained that he was “very doubtful” about playing at the All England Club after suffering the injury at Roland Garros on June 3, but is feeling much more optimistic after a week of training at the grass-court major venue, which starts on Monday.
“My time here has given me positive signs and really encouraged me to not just think, but to feel and believe that I can do it,” he said.
His first-round match against qualifier Vito Kopriva is scheduled for Tuesday.
“I’m not here to play a few rounds and prove to myself or others that I can actually compete in one or two matches. I really want to compete for the title,” said Djokovic, the No. 2 seed behind Jannik Sinner and runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon last year. “These three days have given me plenty of optimism and good signs that I’ll be in shape to compete at the highest level in the coming weeks.”
The 37-year-old Serbian player sustained the injury during his five-set win over Francisco Cerndulo in the fourth round of the French Open and was due to withdraw from the quarter-finals. He underwent surgery in Paris on June 5.
Djokovic wore a grey sleeve on his right leg while playing a practice set at the All England Club with Australian Open champion Sinner, 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev and Francis Tiafoe but said he had no setbacks and was “confident in the health of my knee.”
Djokovic said he had “extensive conversations” with other athletes who have recovered from similar knee surgeries, including tennis players Taylor Fritz and Stan Wawrinka and retired Olympic gold medal-winning ski racer Lindsey Vonn.
In 2021, Fritz injured his knee at the French Open before returning to competition three weeks later at Wimbledon.
Alcaraz said he thought it was superhuman how quickly Djokovic returned, a comment that Djokovic beamed when relayed to him.
“Well, not really. I think Taylor Fritz is superhuman. He recovered in 21 days. [had] A little longer [time]” Djokovic said.
“Maybe it’s not ideal in the eyes of the doctors and specialists who usually say three to six weeks. The closer to six weeks the better, because you want to give your knee and your body time and not take too many risks,” he said. “But it’s also individual. It’s very subjective. Everyone responds differently to recovery, injury, rehab and exercise.”
