Novak Djokovic’s former coach shuts down rumors about the Serb ‘faking’ his knee surgery

Croatian coach Nikola Pilic feels that without the knee surgery Novak Djokovic wouldn't have been able to continue playing.

Novak Djokovic’s former coach shuts down rumors about the Serb ‘faking’ his knee surgery

Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

When Novak Djokovic injured his right knee during the 2024 French Open, he had surgery to remove his torn meniscus. There were a few fans and tennis pundits who claimed that Djokovic faked his surgery as he recovered quickly and reached the Wimbledon final. Djokovic’s former coach Nikola Pilic addressed these rumors.

Due to the injury, Djokovic withdrew from the quarterfinals of the French Open. At Wimbledon, he made a last-moment decision to play and, initially, he did not deal with many injury concerns, but couldn’t play to his full potential in the final.

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Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz defeated him in straight sets to win his second trophy at the SW19. As his knee injury raised a few eyebrows, Croatian coach Pilic claimed that Djokovic wouldn’t have been able to play at all without the surgery. 

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Yes. He definitely had problems at Roland Garros. For example, I could see that one leg was softer than the other. Fortunately, he had all the doctors he trusts around him in Paris. He then had this operation and his knee got much better.
Nikola Pilic told Tennis Magazin 

Less than two weeks after the conclusion of Wimbledon, Djokovic arrived in Paris and again produced strong performances. He reached the final and beat Alcaraz to clinch his first gold medal.

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Nikola Pilic always believed Novak Djokovic could win Olympic gold 

The fact that Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic easily in straight sets at the Wimbledon final made the former the favorite when he entered the Roland Garros court again to bid for his first gold medal at the Olympics. Djokovic had no time to lose his focus even for a while as he went on to achieve the Career Golden Slam after a straight-set win over the Spaniard. 

Novak Djokovic 1
Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

Nikola Pilic, in that aforementioned interview, said he always had faith in Djokovic even though the 37-year-old had been battling form and fitness problems. He feels Djokovic knew that he was playing his possible last Olympics, and it made him more determined to go for the medal. 

I know Novak better than anyone else. I believed that he had a good chance. His attitude was outstanding because he knew it was his last chance.
Nikola Pilic said

Djokovic did not play at the Canadian Open and skipped the Cincinnati Open. He will be playing in the US Open and has confirmed his participation in the Shanghai Open. 

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