Novak Djokovic suffered a heartbreaking end to his superb French Open run, with a knee injury forcing him to withdraw from Roland Garros.
The Serbian required surgery to repair his torn meniscus following that tournament, with the operation throwing his short-term future on the court in doubt.
Wimbledon is up next in the Grand Slam calendar, and it remains to be seen just how fit the seven-time winner will be when it gets underway.
Djokovic was back in the gym and strengthening his knee not long after the surgery, with his rapid recovery stunning tennis fans.
But it is uncertain whether or not that gym work can translate onto the court come competition time in London.
How did Novak Djokovic look at his Wimbledon practice session?
Wimbledon qualifiers are already underway in the English capital, with the men’s first round scheduled for July 1.
Djokovic is very clearly in a race against time for that deadline, but he has now shown his commitment to win that race.
Journalists Henry Clark and Stuart Fraser have both shared images on X of the Serbian taking part in a practice session on the Wimbledon grass less than three weeks after his surgery.
Clark noted that it was ‘a controlled session so far but Djokovic looks to be moving freely,’ with Fraser writing ‘quite unbelievable that Novak Djokovic is even here on a practice court at Wimbledon less than three weeks after knee surgery. A decision still to be made on his participation but no obvious issues so far.’
Will Novak Djokovic be fit for Wimbledon?
With just one fewer Wimbledon title than all-time leader Roger Federer, Djokovic will clearly be eager to take part in the tournament next month.
He will also have revenge at the front of his mind, having lost last year’s final to young star Carlos Alcaraz.
But whether or not the 37-year-old’s body allows him to remains to be seen, with the Serbian having only just pulled out of Roland Garros following gruelling back-to-back five-set matches.
He remarkably came from behind to win both of those clashes, but could not make it to his quarter-final meeting with Casper Ruud.
All eyes will now be on the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the days to come, with Wimbledon fans surely desperate to see the Serb on the court in a competitive match.
Unfortunately, however, those fans could be in for major disappointment, with Djokovic one of eight big-name players who could miss the tournament.
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