Novak Djokovic was asked to provide a knee update after his most recent win at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, and he was honest about it.
While the Serbian's play at this year's Wimbledon has been really competitive, most of the storylines revolved around his knee. Nobody really doubted that he'd make the second week, but these upcoming matches will be the true test for the seven-time champion.
Could he hang out with players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner? He'd need to beat those types of players if he hopes to win the trophy, which is his goal. That's why the knee is a story, as right now, Djokovic is good enough to beat the likes of Alexei Popyrin, but that's not always the case with some better players.
A worrying admission a few days ago created quite a lot of buzz, but the pendulum swung in the other direction after his most recent match. Speaking after the match, Djokovic admitted that he felt better on the court, and the hope is that that trajectory continues in the coming matches.
"Well, I think each match is getting better. My feeling movement and confidence in my movement, particularly in the extreme balls, reaching, and sliding, I definitely felt better today than I had in the second round match."
For Djokovic, the hope was that with every match, the Serbian would have a much easier time on the court, so by the time he gets to play the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz, he could be as close to his best as possible.
"Hopefully, the direction or trajectory will keep going in a positive way. As the tournament progresses, each match I'll feel better, so let's see what happens in the next one."
Time will tell whether things unfold that way, but he's certainly been vulnerable this year, even at SW19, where he has dominated in the past.