Novak Djokovic’s attendance at Wimbledon is a matter up for debate, and whether he should even try and play is another argument entirely.
After all, with the severity of his injury, despite how fast he has recovered, rushing back to action can only add to the risks that an already perilous grass surface can provoke.
And now, with the Olympics to contend with this summer too, the decision on which event to prioritise seems more important than ever.
Fortunately, we now know which one he will be focusing on anyway.
Jon Wertheim reveals what Novak Djokovic told him
Speaking on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Jon Wertheim, a renowned tennis journalist and co-host with the former world number one, offered his insight into the Serbian’s injury struggles.
And whilst Roddick praised Djokovic for his superhuman feats of recovery, there remains doubt over whether playing both Wimbledon and the Olympics in one summer right after having surgery on a torn meniscus in the knee is feasible at all.
Djokovic has travelled to Wimbledon, but that does not guarantee participation in the event.
And now, speaking to Roddick, Wertheim revealed what Djokovic told him behind the scenes about his priority tournament: ‘The one thing that is weird about this whole story is that, and he said this to my face, this is not just gossip, the Olympics were the priority this year.
‘He hasn’t won that gold medal but he wanted to. I don’t think it was at all a given that he was going to play Wimbledon even at peak health.
‘If you are hell-bent on winning Olympic gold and it’s a clay tournament… Anyway, I think it’s extraordinary that he’s back.’
Novak Djokovic shouldn’t risk his Olympics
Whilst the opportunity to match Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles will be tempting for Djokovic, it cannot come at the expense of the Olympics.
After all, for many years now it has notably been the outstanding anomaly from his trophy cabinet, with Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray having earned huge notoriety from winning gold.
There are a number of reasons why it would mark a reckless and risky move to play in SW19 too, despite having already travelled, not least with how unpredictable the grass is.
Already across the last week we have seen untold retirements in the tournaments leading up to Wimbledon, and given that the world number two is already nursing a knee injury, this surface lends to further provocation.
Also, given his last match came at Roland Garros, where he sustained the injury, changing briefly to grass only to then return to clay would further increase the chances of aggravation.
Not to mention that he has had no tournament practice ahead of Wimbledon, and thus would likely struggle to even win the title anyway.
All signs suggest that he should omit the tournament where he is already a seven-time champion, but Djokovic has achieved more superhuman feats of physical excellence before. It would be hard to rule him out.
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