NOVAK Djokovic hopes his right knee injury will not derail his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal when he reaches the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Games.
Djokovic suffered a knee injury during his 6-3 and 7-6 (7/3) win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, Friday (2/8) WIB.
The Serbian required on-court medical attention and painkillers after slipping on the baseline of Court Philippe Chatrier and limping off.
He came from 0-4 down and then 2-5 down, saving three set points in the ninth game, before advancing to a tie-break.
Djokovic will face Italian tennis player Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Saturday (3/8) WIB.
“I’m concerned about my knee. I can’t give you the exact information because I don’t have it. I have to go and check my knee with the medical staff and then we’ll see,” Djokovic said on Friday (2/8).
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“I will play at 7pm tomorrow, which gives me a little bit more time. But I hope I can be ready and I am optimistic. I have to be ready.”
“Anti-inflammatories help. But that effect will wear off. So, I’ll probably have a more realistic picture tomorrow and hope for the best,” the 37-year-old continued.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam winner, is still hunting for his first Olympic gold medal after only managing to win bronze in Beijing in 2008.
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He will be playing in his fourth Olympic semifinal.
“I have to be 100% on my feet and fit physically, to be able to run so I can try to win the match. I know it will be tough,” Djokovic said of his Paris 2024 Olympic semi-final clash with Musseti.
Djokovic suffered a meniscus injury in his right knee at the French Open in June, which forced him to retire from the quarter-finals.
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He immediately underwent surgery and miraculously reached the Wimbledon final, before losing to Carlos Alcaraz.
“It’s great that I managed to finish it in straight sets and finish the match tonight,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview after beating Tsitsipas.
“But I also finished the fourth round at the French Open and then found out that I had torn my meniscus.”
“I need to see what happens now. I don’t know what to say. It’s day by day. I hope I can be physically fit for tomorrow,” he added.
Djokovic has beaten Musetti six times in seven meetings including in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Musetti became the first Italian to reach an Olympic semi-final when he defeated defending champion Alexander Zverev.
Meanwhile, for Tsitsipas, the Olympic quarter-final defeat was another heartbreaking experience against Djokovic.
He lost the 2021 French Open final on the same court to Djokovic from two sets up.
Djokovic also beat him in the 2023 Australian Open final. It has been five years since Tsitsipas last beat the Serb.
“I learned once again that it’s not over. It’s not really over until you really close it out,” Tsitsipas said.
“It’s probably one of the few times in my career where I’ve had a double break and lost a set. It’s really disappointing because I was feeling good,” he concluded. (Ant/Z-1)
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