Novak Djokovic stated that he is "very worried" ahead of the crucial semifinal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics after his knee injury resurfaced.
Two months ago, Djokovic tore a meniscus on his right knee while competing at the French Open in a fourth-round match against Francisco Cerundolo. He slipped on the court multiple times and aggravated the injury.
Djokovic carried on playing that match and won in five sets, but it proved to be a pyrrhic victory. The following day, he underwent an MRI scan, which revealed the extent of the damage to the knee.
The Serb withdrew from the clay-court major, thereby surrendering his title defense, to go for surgery immediately. According to his doctor, he was unlikely to play Wimbledon.
But he defied the odds, just as he has done throughout his career. This time, he won his fight against the knee injury and played at the grass-court Grand Slam. He reached the final despite entering the tournament without any expectations.
Djokovic would lose to Carlos Alcaraz, and his search for his first title of the season continued. While his movement looked lethargic at times during the Wimbledon final, the 37-year-old was back at his free-flowing best at the Olympics.
He breezed through the first three rounds without showing any physical discomfort. His ball striking was pure. However, in his first test of the tournament, Stefanos Tsitsipas exposed Djokovic's movement in their quarterfinal.
The Greek's ability to inject pace on his forehand and stretch Djokovic might have been detrimental to his knee. The former World No. 1, playing with a protective knee brace, was visibly in pain in the second set and even called for a trainer.
Djokovic trailed by a double break in the second set and faced three set points at 3-5, 0-40 on the Tsitsipas serve. But his opponent could not close out the set and remarkably, the top seed played through the pain barrier to win 6-3, 7-6.
Speaking to reporters after the match, the Serbian star made a frightening revelation that he experienced the same "intense" pain on the surgically repaired knee as that of the French Open fourth-round match.
Worryingly, Djokovic does not know how the injury came about, as he did not slip in the match against Tsitsipas. Although he is pleased with the win, which means he remains in the hunt for that maiden gold medal, he is "worried."
"I am very worried, honestly, I don’t know what to say. I finished the match, and the intense pain went away. Whether I hit myself or slipped, I don’t even know."
"It all resembled the 4th round of Roland Garros where I managed to finish the match, and then I found out I was injured. I am pleased with the victory, but I am worried."
Djokvoic's win over Tsitsipas set up a semifinal match against Lorenzo Musetti. The Italian has been in very good form in recent months, reaching his first Wimbledon semifinal last month (lost to Djokovic) and the final of Umag. He defeated Alexader Zverev in straight sets, dispelling concerns about fatigue.
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