Novak Djokovic accomplished the almost unthinkable by reaching the final at Wimbledon just a month after pulling out of Roland Garros due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery on his meniscus. Fans who have followed him for the last two decades should not be surprised by anything he is able to do with his body, but at 37 years old, it seemed like this would be too much.
Many commentators discussed and wrote about how this would likely be the first major in over 20 years without any members of the “Big 3”. Even when Djokovic entered the draw, few picked him to win as he had little court time before the event with a focus on recovery. The quality of players like Sinner, Medvedev, and Alcaraz seemed to make it even more unlikely for Djokovic to win the event.
Djokovic proved many wrong, as he has done so many times before, and he sits just one match away from a record-tying eighth Wimbledon title.
Early round concerns
Djokovic had a favorable draw in the early rounds, where he likely hoped to limit court time and rest his knee. He came out in his first match against Vit Kopriva and won convincingly, proving he was ready to compete, albeit against an opponent far from his caliber. He looked to be in the same spot in round two against Jacob Fearnley, with heavy English support from the crowd. Fearnley served brilliantly and took the third set from Djokovic, who showed some signs of discomfort in the knee. He won a tight fourth set but did not seem to be 100%, and the extra court time did not help.
His third-round match against Alexei Popyrin seemed to bring up fitness concerns again. He dropped the first set 4-6 failing to even have a break point, then faced a break point early in the second set. Djokovic once again saved it, broke the next game, and looked like a new player the rest of the match, winning the final three sets without facing another break point. While he did turn things around quickly, the fitness concerns still seemed to linger going into tougher matches ahead.
Later rounds – Showing almost no signs of pain
Similarly to how Djokovic can improve as a match goes on, he has grown into Wimbledon and seems to be more comfortable testing the knee. His fourth-round match against world #15 Holger Rune was a blowout, with Djokovic dominating from start to finish. He caught a massive break with a walkover in the quarterfinal after Alex de Minaur withdrew due to injury. For some players, losing momentum and rhythm would have been a concern, but Djokovic’s experience made that unlikely to affect him, and the extra days of rest were significant.
The semifinal against Lorenzo Musetti showed a fresh Djokovic tested by a free-swinging Musetti who looked like he absolutely belonged in his first major semifinal. He played good tennis overall but just didn’t have the answers against Djokovic, who again looked nearly as spry as his 22-year-old opponent. He seemed to put away all injury concerns from early rounds with stretches and smooth movement throughout the match.
Will the knee be a factor?
While Djokovic looks nearly 100%, the nature of his injury makes it still a very possible factor in the final. Generally, Djokovic looks to be comfortable with his movement and how he has tested the knee, and it will likely not hamper him significantly. However, one wrong step at any point in the match could aggravate it and completely change things. While Djokovic did not show it in the semifinal, he may have to think twice before stretching for balls or changing directions, and those slight doubts could make the difference in a couple of key points that could decide the final. From a preview perspective, he has looked shockingly fit and he was rarely bothered by the knee. Alcaraz’s physicality could well change that in the final, but Djokovic has removed any real doubt that, aside from a slip or bad luck, his movement should be just fine. Hopefully, the final will be won by tennis and unaffected by the injury, and with the way Djokovic has managed his body, that is very likely the case.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
