Novak Djokovic returned to the Wimbledon grass on Monday, as the seven-time champion assesses his ability to compete at SW19 in London when the tournament starts on July 1.
Djokovic today told reporters at the tournament that he came not just to play, but to compete, and to win. “I didn’t come here to play a few rounds,” he told the BBC in a group of reporters.
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“If I know I can play close to my maximum, or at maximum, then I’ll play. If not, then I’ll give someone else a chance to play.”
The Serbian world No 2 withdrew from the French Open after he tore the medial meniscus in his right knee on June 3, during a five-set win over Argentine player Francisco Cerundolo.
Djokovic confirmed that he had had surgery on the injury on June 6, at which time he said that he was “going to do my best to be healthy and fit to return to the court as soon as possible.”
Djokovic was runner up at the All England club a year ago after falling to defeat in a classic to Carlos Alcaraz too (the first time he’d lost at Wimbledon in 34 matches and five years).
How long does Djokovic have to decide?
The Wimbledon draw will take place on Friday June 28, and Djokovic would be expected to confirm his decision before that.
He is joined in taking the latest possible course of action according to medical advice by two-time winner Andy Murray.
Murray underwent a surgical procedure on a spinal cyst, but contrary to initial reports has not taken himself out of contention for the tournament, whether that would be in the singles draw, or the doubles draw, in which he will play with brother Jamie.
Great to see you out there, @DjokerNole 👊pic.twitter.com/Uu9MsfIX7q
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 24, 2024
Would Djokovic have a realistic chance of winning Wimbledon?
During his practice on Monday, Djokovic played two practice tiebreaks with Argentina’s Federico Coria, winning one and losing the other.
Winning a practice set, or tiebreak, is no substitute for match practice and fitness, however. Andy Murray won a practice set against world No 3 Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s before retiring against Australia’s Jordan Thompson after five games; Rafael Nadal won practice sets against higher-ranked players throughout his preparations for clay-court tournaments, but didn’t go beyond the round-of-16 in any of them.
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Djokovic was taken to five sets by both Cerundolo and Italian Lorenzo Musetti at the French Open, and though he prevailed on both occasions, he came close to defeat too. Mustering the ability to win seven matches against some of the best players in the world weeks after surgery is beyond almost anyone, but Djokovic is one of very few who have shown the career resilience to make it even a distant possibility.
What does Djokovic’s decision mean for the rest of the tournament?
The presence of a seven-time champion and 24-time Grand Slam champion in the Wimbledon draw wouldn’t just be a problem for favourites like Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in terms of a match-up. If Djokovic were to play the tournament, he would be seeded second, behind Sinner, separating them in the draw and meaning that they could only meet in the final.
Alcaraz and Sinner, however, could then meet at the semifinal stage, depending on the draw, which would in turn open up Djokovic’s side of the bracket.
If Djokovic does not play, then Alcaraz will take the second seed berth, separating him from the Italian world No 1 and creating a path which, if results go according to ranking, would see the two new stars of men’s tennis meet in a Grand Slam final for the first time.
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How important is this Wimbledon for Djokovic?
This has been an atypical season for the Serb, who is yet to win a title and has struggled throughout with a series of injuries and unfortunate events. A water bottle fell from a spectator’s bag and struck Djokovic on the head after his victory over Frenchman Corentin Moutet at the Italian Open in Rome, and he looked listless and out of sorts in a subsequent defeat to Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.
He lost to Italian Luca Nardi in straight sets in Indian Wells, and was beaten by Sinner in the semifinals of the Australian Open. The French Open was his first serious burst of form in 2024, before the knee injury scuppered his chances of defending his title.
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Djokovic will also be considering the Olympic Games in Paris, considering the gold medal is the only major honour in tennis he has never won. As he has said, Wimbledon is vital to him — it is a Grand Slam tournament and he has won it seven times over — but the fact that he will not play if he cannot win also shows how seriously he is taking the fullness of his recovery.
What’s next for Djokovic?
He will continue to test the readiness of his knee, ramping up the intensity of his training to better emulate the five-set match situations that he has to navigate at a Grand Slam tournament.
It is understood that Djokovic’s preternatural ability to cope with injury — he won the 2023 Australian Open with a three-inch tear in his left hamstring — is now being balanced with his long-term outlook of playing more Grand Slams in future years.
He is not willing to jeopardise that future for one tournament, but he will also only play that one tournament, at Wimbledon, if he believes he can lift the trophy on July 14.
(Top photo: John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)