Novak Djokovic’s participation at Wimbledon is still uncertain. The Serbian, who is recovering from knee surgery, will only play on the London pitch if he can ‘fight for the title’.
‘I will only participate if I know that I am well enough to go far in the tournament and fight for the title, that’s the condition,’ the current world number two, aged 37, told the BBC , while the draw for the table takes place on Friday.
Djokovic, seven times titled on the turf of the All England Club, was forced to withdraw before his quarter-final at Roland Garros against Casper Ruud at the beginning of the month, victim of an injury to the medial meniscus of his right knee. ‘If I feel like I can play close to my max or my max, then I’ll play. Otherwise, I will give the chance to someone else to participate,’ explained the champion with 24 Grand Slam titles.
Decision before the draw
His chances of participating in the London Grand Slam, which begins on July 1, initially seemed low, but Djokovic’s performances are improving day by day and he practiced for two hours at Wimbledon’s Aorangi Park on Monday.
‘I’m going there gradually. I’m not pushing it 100% yet, but I hope it will come in the next few days. Rehabilitation is going in the right direction,’ he said. Djokovic said he would make a decision before Friday’s draw. ‘I didn’t come here to just play a few rounds.’
‘Nole’ has reached the Wimbledon final in the last five editions, losing last year in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz. He also aims to win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics (he has never had better than bronze) which will begin on July 26.
If Andy Murray, who had back surgery last week, is also in a race against time to be ready for Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal will not participate in the tournament to concentrate on the Olympic Games.
/ATS
