Novak Djokovic has won his battle to stay fit for Wimbledon, claiming he is playing pain-free weeks after undergoing knee surgery.
The former world number one had been expected to miss the tournament, which he has won seven times, after undergoing knee surgery less than three weeks ago but is now all but certain to take part.
Djokovic’s movement wasn’t perfect in his 6-3, 6-4 win over Daniil Medvedev at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic in Hurlingham. With a bandaged right knee, Djokovic hesitated to push off with that leg when he got to the outside, but his serve was good and he struck the ball sharply.
Asked afterwards how he was feeling, the 37-year-old first sighed loudly before replying: “I had so much fun today.”
“Pain-free tennis is the best tennis, so I’m just happy to be pain-free. It was obviously a great test against one of the best players in the world.”
“I played a few practice sets and really wanted to test myself. The test was a great success, so of course I’m really happy. I spent a lot of time on rehabilitation in the three weeks after the operation and it was very busy.”
“I’ve always wanted to give myself a chance to go to London. I think my surgeon is here, he’s definitely the MVP of these last three weeks. I’m just trying to take it day by day and see how far I can go.”
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Djokovic has relied on fellow athletes who have suffered similar injuries, such as American Taylor Fritz, who was in the same situation three years ago and recovered in time for Wimbledon.
“I asked him, and I also asked many other athletes – (Stan) Wawrinka, Lindsey Vonn, Zlatan Ibrahimovic – and they were all very kind to share their experiences and give me contact details of people who could help me,” Djokovic added.
Djokovic’s recovery has been hailed as a miracle by former British world number one Laura Robson, who told Tennis 365 that the Serb will be a threat if fully recovered by Wimbledon.
“Honestly, it’s a miracle he’s playing at all,” Robson said. Tennis 365 In an exclusive interview.
“I remember Taylor Fritz was in a similar situation. He played Wimbledon three weeks after knee surgery and did pretty well overall. But he was 10 years younger than me and I think at 37 things are going to be a lot harder.
“It would be a shock if he plays a last-five match, but this is Novak. If he gets the draw and feels he can put up a good fight, you can’t count him out.”
“He hasn’t had the best season, but you’ve seen him go through periods of decline and then bounce back and win again. That’s what Djokovic has done throughout his career.”
“Novak will only go to Wimbledon if he is sure he can win and will always be a threat if he gets in. There’s a reason they call him Djokovic.”
“At this stage in his career, and when he has won everything there is to win, there would be no point in going through the formalities.
“He could literally be doing other things in life at home, but this week he’s at Wimbledon testing himself. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t believe he had a great chance of winning.”