Former ATP player and coach Boris Becker spoke about Novak Djokovic‘s Wimbledon miracle and its importance to his Olympic chances.
Djokovic admitted a few times this year that the Paris Olympics are his biggest goal, and it’s very clear why. The Serbian has won 24 Grand Slams in his career, but he never won a gold medal at the Olympic Games, which he admitted in the past is one of the biggest regrets of his career.
The Serbian was widely expected to deliver a rare gold to Serbia a few times in the past, and failing to do so is seen as a big failure from the Serbian himself.
He wants to change it this year, and his former coach, Becker, thinks he can do it. In fact, he called him one of his favorites ahead of the tournament. Likely, the only bigger favorites are Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, who both reached the final at Roland Garros earlier this year.
Still, the 37-year-old’s knee will be under a microscope because it impacted his Wimbledon run. Yes, he made the final, but it clearly hampered him in that final match, not allowing him to play his best tennis against Alcaraz.
However, Becker thinks Wimbledon was a miracle because Djokovic could play at all. According to all the early reports, he was supposed to miss the tournament, but still, he miraculously made it.
Becker also pointed out that Wimbledon allowed Djokovic to really test his knee in match conditions. That’s hugely important because if he arrived in Paris without that, his chances would be much smaller than they are at the moment.
Playing at Wimbledon got him ready for the Paris Olympics, and that’s why, according to the experienced German coach, Djokovic will be among those likely to win medals in Paris.
“He got injured at the French Open and had a small surgery, so to make the final at Wimbledon was close to a miracle. For him, it was vital to come back as quickly as possible as he has said all year that the Olympics in Paris will one of his big focuses for this year.”
“What he did at Wimbledon was great because it meant he had competition, he had matches. He was able to test his knee in match-like conditions and that is the best thing that could have happened to him.”
Some wonder if the surface changes will affect Djokovic, but Becker doesn’t think they will impact him too much. He is just too experienced, and by now, he is used to everything.
The most important thing is that he arrived in Paris healthy, and everything else will take care of itself. Remember, Becker used to coach Djokovic, and he knows well what the Olympics mean to him.
“There is enough time between Wimbledon on grass and the first round of the Olympics in Paris on clay for him to adapt and he will know what to do now. Wimbledon was important for him to ensure he is one of the favourites for Paris.”
