Questions to answer over Djokovic's form and fitness

Alexander Zverev may have been missing something when he declared Wimbledon as the “most open Championships that we’ve had in 20 years”.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz became the first man other than Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray to win the Wimbledon title since 2002, a victory that signalled the start of a new era. But Djokovic, the man Alcaraz described as “superhuman” after returning from knee surgery in just three weeks, is still here. From looking out of Wimbledon, his recovery from a torn meniscus defies belief.

A shot at a record eighth title remains alive thanks to a surgeon hailed by Djokovic as his “MVP”. When the 37-year-old withdrew from his French Open quarter-final after slipping on the Paris clay, his chances of being fit for Wimbledon appeared slim. He was given a timescale of three to six weeks after undergoing surgery. Wimbledon just made the cut.

But Djokovic needed to come back sooner than that. Nothing was left to chance as he consulted a range of voices who had recovered from similar procedures. As he looked for reassurance, Djokovic spoke to fellow players Taylor Fritz and Stan Wawrinka, as well as others outside tennis, such as the former Milan and PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and downhill skiing champion Lindsey Vonn.

Encouraged by what he heard, Djokovic got to work. The Serbian now appears to have won his race with time to spare. He arrived at Wimbledon last Sunday and was so confident about his condition after hitting on the grass that he flew to Munich on Tuesday for Serbia’s final group game against Denmark at Euro 2024. A day later, Djokovic was back in Wimbledon for more practice. He has played “intense” sets with Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Emil Ruusuvuori. There has been no pain, swelling, or inflammation. Djokovic’s knee, in other words, feels good to go, his body ready for the start of another gruelling two weeks.