Novak Djokovic is in the 2024 Wimbledon Championships semi-final, which was unexpected only a few weeks ago when he tore his meniscus.
Djokovic was playing Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round of the Roland Garros when he started to experience knee issues. The Serbian continued the match and actually won it, but it came at a price.
He tore his meniscus, which forced him to withdraw ahead of his next match, and that was a huge problem. Wimbledon was only a few weeks away and the Serbian really didn’t want to miss that event.
To try and get to London, Djokovic opted for surgery, which he generally tries to avoid. It proved a success, and he was able to return in record time to play at Wimbledon. There were no guarantees that he would, which is why he ranks the quick recovery as one of the best achievements of his career.
“Well, right at the top. Maybe two or three in terms of the time it took to come back to the desired level. It was the first time that I had faced this kind of particular knee injury.”
“I had never had a major knee injury. Unfortunately, I injured myself mid-match in the fourth round of Roland Garros, and I tore my meniscus.”
In the same chat with the Tennis Channel, Djokovic revealed that part of his meniscus had to be taken out, and all of that was for him to be able to make a quick recovery. He rushed back for Wimbledon, and so far, the decision has been paying of, as he’s through to the semi-final of the major at SW19.
“Part of it had to be taken out, which is obviously not where it’s supposed to be, and I decided, along with my team members, to go have an arthroscopic intervention literally a day after. All the doctors I know told me the recovery would be quicker with surgery.”
