“That’s the greatness of him,” Tennis legend Mats Wilander admits surprise at Novak Djokovic’s recovery ahead of 2024 Wimbledon

Djokovic underwent knee surgery after pulling out of the French Open and has been working hard on his recovery ahead of Wimbledon.

“That’s the greatness of him,” Tennis legend Mats Wilander admits surprise at Novak Djokovic’s recovery ahead of 2024 Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic and Mats Wilander (Image via Imago)

Novak Djokovic’s quick recovery from a knee injury has earned him a No. 2 seeding at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. He has defied the odds and surprised everyone, including Swedish legend Mats Wilander, to be fit for the tournament just weeks after having surgery.

The Serbian tore the meniscus in his right knee at the French Open which led him to withdraw from the event before his quarterfinal against Casper Ruud. After getting the issue fixed by going under the knife in Paris, he has made an exceptional recovery in just three weeks, despite many reports stating that it would normally require twice that amount of time to get back to full fitness.

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A few days ago, Djokovic practiced with Jannik Sinner on Wimbledon’s Center Court to prepare for the grass Major. Though he was losing the practice match 3-6, 2-1 before they called it off, it was a crucial step to assessing his fitness levels ahead of the tournament.

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Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic ( Via Open Source/X)

Former World No. 1 Wilander has opined that Djokovic’s quick recovery both surprised him and was also an indication of his greatness.

“It was very surprising to see Novak in London, a few days before Wimbledon, without knowing if he was going to play. But that’s the greatness of Novak: he doesn’t look at the number one spot in the world rankings, he doesn’t look at winning the most Grand Slam titles, he looks at the situation day by day. I think he feels the need to go to Wimbledon to get into that competitive mindset,”

Mats Wilander said via Eurosport

Djokovic is yet to play in a final this year, with three semifinal finishes (Australian Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, and Geneva Open) being his best results so far.

Novak Djokovic happy to play pain-free after victory against Daniil Medvedev in exhibition match

Novak Djokovic looked in good shape on Saturday when he defeated Daniil Medvedev at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic at The Hurlingham Club. The 37-year-old, who was in doubt for the tournament two weeks ago, regained his fitness and returned to action with a 6-3, 6-4 win.

After the match, Djokovic admitted he played pain-free and stated that he was happy to pass the stern test.

Novak Djokovic Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic Wimbledon (via Imago)

“I can tell you that pain-free tennis is the best tennis. I was pain-free and I’m really glad. It was a great test obviously against one of the best players in the world.”

Novak Djokovic said via The Independent

The ATP World No. 2 will begin his Wimbledon campaign against Czech Republic qualifier Vit Kopriva on Tuesday (July 2). If he manages to go all the way at the Championships this year, he will clinch a record-equalling eighth title and go level with Roger Federer.

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