Will Djokovic play at Wimbledon? What did his doctor say?

Novak Djokovic wants to speed up his recovery deadlines to compete at Wimbledon after undergoing surgery due to his meniscus injury during his French Open round of 16 match against the Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo.

The Serb was 2-1 down in that game but managed to come back and win the fifth and last set to win a game many thought he would lose. However, despite the praise he got for his efforts, the 24-time major champion announced shortly after winning he was forced to withdraw.

Djokovic, who has had one of the worst seasons in his career, hoped to excel in the big events. However, Jannik Sinner prevented him from winning a 25th Grand Slam tournament and his body was his worst opponent in Roland Garros.

Some weeks ago, Nole admitted that he was very focused on doing bug things in the majors, considering he’s not getting any younger and won’t play as many events as he used to some years ago. He added that Wimbledon and the Olympic Games were among his main objectives.

Djokovic, “unlikely” to be ready for Wimbledon

Djokovic’s presence in Wimbledon is doubtful, said to L’Equipe Antoine Gerometta, the surgeon who performed arthroscopic surgery on Novak Djokovic’s right knee in Paris.

“We can always dream and say that it will go very quickly. But during the 45 minutes that we spent with Novak, his staff, and Vincent Guillard, the doctor of the French Tennis Federation, I was very transparent in saying that it would depend on the reaction of his knee. By gradually increasing the load, we will see if it remains dry, without swelling or pain. There will be a day-to-day evolution, but it is impossible to predict what state he will be in in a week, two weeks, etc. That it will be 100% within three weeks, that still seems unlikely”, he admitted.

However, Gerometta believes that Djokovic will do whatever it takes to accelerate this recovery. He highlighted the Serbian’s good mood and understanding of the situation.

“He will clearly give himself the means to recover as quickly as possible but everything will be supervised and monitored. Vincent Guillard and I will remain in close contact with his staff. The feeling with Novak, whom I found very intelligent and composed, went very well, the discussions were fluid from the moment I explained to him the nature of the operation.”, Gerometta added.

Gerometta also mentioned Djokovic’s milestone during his match against Cerundolo, as many players would have gone to the hospital if they had suffered the same injury.

“Given the injury, what he did was extraordinary. It’s a mechanical blockage, and the reality is that there is only surgery to repair it. That questions all the undeserved criticism and the interpretations of those who say it wasn’t a real injury, like when he won the Australian Open (in 2021) with a torn abs. He remains an exceptional person”, the surgeon concluded.

Djokovic will now try to recover as soon as possible surrounded by his staff and in the case he can’t make it to Wimbledon, he will try to be fully fit and ready to participate in the Olympic Games.