Novak Djokovic was asked about rushing back to play at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships during his pre-tournament press conference, and he gave a thoughtful response.
The 37-year-old rushed his comeback from meniscus surgery, even though it may not be very smart. Djokovic isn't known as a player who will do things that are considered detrimental to him in any way, and yet he might have done it this time.
While rushing to recover from an injury is never a good idea, Djokovic likely went about it as carefully as possible. It's not unheard of because we've seen other players do it, but it could have gone wrong.
Luckily, nothing happened, and he's likely going to play at Wimbledon. Ahead of the tournament, the Serbian explained the decision to rush his comeback, even though he technically didn't need to.
"It's a good question, my wife asked me too. I'm 37 years old, maybe you want to take less risks and prepare for the Olympic Games. I have the feeling of not missing a Grand Slam as long as I can play, as long as I'm active and at this level."
"I wouldn't call it a fear of missing out, just an incredible desire to play, to compete. Especially because it's Wimbledon, the tournament that has always been a dream for me."
The way Djokovic phrased it indicates that it was obviously something that was discussed among his team. It wasn't a decision he made just like that, but he weighed the pros and cons and ultimately decided to go for it. It worked, and now he's back to dreaming big, which is winning the trophy.
"The simple idea of missing Wimbledon was not right, I didn't want to deal with it. I'm going through this knee injury for the first time in my life. I wanted to see how quickly I could recover and be in a position to compete in best of five on grass against the best in the world."
"I haven't come here to play a few rounds. I want to go for the title. The last three days have made me optimistic that I can really compete at the highest level."
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