Novak Djokovic has clarified his decision to play at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships despite the advice from doctors to avoid risking further injury, stating that he did not want to miss out on a Grand Slam. The Serb was on crutches just a few days ago after injuring his knee during the French Open, but has since taken to having full practice sessions at SW19 this week.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his opener against Vit Kopriva, Djokovic admitted that his wife Jelena asked him why he wanted to speed up his recovery as well, instead of taking less risks and focusing on the Paris Olympics coming soon.However, the World No. 2 maintained that he could not let go of his ‘incredible’ desire to compete at Wimbledon, the tournament he had always dreamed of winning as a child.
“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,” Novak Djokovic said at his press conference.
“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,” he added.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion admitted that his decision might not be seen as ideal by doctors, but emphasized that it was an individual thing. For the moment, he believes his intensity is high enough to compete at SW19, especially as he hsa not had any setback since making the choice to play.
“It may not be ideal for doctors and specialists, who advise you to rest for 3 to 6 weeks, the more the better to avoid risks, but it is an individual thing. It is very subjective. Everyone has a different response to recovery, rehabilitation, exercises… I have not had any relapses. My intensity is very high now. The knee is fine, there has been no negative reaction,” Djokovic said.
“The simple idea of missing Wimbledon was not right, I didn’t want to deal with it” – Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic further noted that he did not want to deal with the feeling of missing out on Wimbledon. Although the Serb admitted that he was facing a knee injury of this magnitude for the first time in his life, he wanted to push his body and see how quickly he could recover.
“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,” Djokovic said in his press conference.
As for what he thought about his chances at SW19, the World No. 2 reiterated that anything short of a title would be disappointing to him at the end of the day.
“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,” Djokovic added.
The 37-year-old is a seven-time champion at Wimbledon, and will be looking to overtake Roger Federer’s record of eight at the tournament this year.