Novak Djokovic has been very busy ahead of next week’s Wimbledon.
The former world number one, and current number two in the world, has regularly been competing for this title for well over a decade now, amassing seven titles to show for his troubles.
However, coming off the back of a nasty fall at Roland Garros, where he actually tore the meniscus in his right knee, his mere attendance at the event was thrown into question.
And yet, less than a month after surgery, he has been pictured already in SW19, preparing for the event.
In fact, he has not just been taking it easy either, having now been pictured practising with Jannik Sinner of all people, hitting on centre court no less.
Novak Djokovic returns from injury
The latest on how that practice session went comes courtesy of journalist Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic.
Even if he was to play at Wimbledon, there were grave fears that Novak Djokovic might not be nearly as fresh and fierce as he often is.
After all, injury-riddled or not, 2024 has not been kind to the Serbian.
However, the former football wirter actually has offered a positive update on his progress, writing on X: ‘Djokovic on court against Sinner. Looks fine so far, three weeks on from surgery…’.
The result has since emerged, suggesting that he did lose 3-6 *2-1, before calling it short.
When put like this, the true scale of Djokovic’s brilliance is emphasised. A superhuman physical marvel, it is a wonder how he will translate whatever form he can muster from the grass courts of Wimbledon into the subsequent Paris Olympics, played on the clay that condemned him to this current injury turmoil.
Two Wimbledon favourites face off
As two of the favourites to win the competition, who actually squared off in the quarter-finals of last year’s Wimbledon, this pre-tournament practice is actually a really interesting decision from both parties.
After all, whilst it allows them to each face one of the best players in the world, it might actually mark a precursor to what could very easily be this year’s final, as the first and second seeds in the draw will see them drawn on opposite sides.
Carlos Alcaraz, the winner in 2023, will likely aim to crash that party, but will also face pushback from a whole host of stars who are without a Grand Slam title but are in fine form going into the event.
This promises to be an enthralling iteration of Wimbledon, and with the 37-year-old seemingly fit and firing, even if Djokovic has hinted at his potential retirement, his mere presence always guarantees that the competition is elevated.
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