Why Not Give It A Shot?

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday June 29, 2024

With a week of practice under his belt, and just barely over three weeks since he underwent a surgery to repair his meniscus, Novak Djokovic told reporters he has not suffered a setback and is “all-in” on chasing down another Wimbledon title.

The seven-time Wimbledon and 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated Daniil Medvedev in an exhibition on Friday, another step in what he told reporters has been a very smooth comeback.

Now it is time for the Serbian juggernaut to commit 100 percent to winning Wimbledon once again.

“I don’t see myself holding back,” he said. “I don’t see myself calculating or being a bit more cautious in the movement. I don’t see that happening.

“Really, I go all in. I go full out. I mean, that’s the way I’ve been playing my entire career. If I don’t have the feeling that I can do that on Tuesday, I wouldn’t be speaking to you guys today. I wouldn’t be in the draw, that’s for sure. All the days that I’ve spent here give me only positive signs and encourage me to really think, not just think, but feel that I can do it.”

Djokovic, who will face Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva in his first-round match on Tuesday in Centre Court, went on to explain why he chose to return so quickly after surgery, when a crowded summer of elite tennis is around the corner.

He says that he couldn’t resist the allure of Wimbledon.

“I know that Olympics are right after that on a completely different surface,” he said. “I know all of that. But I’m thinking about Wimbledon. It’s a dream tournament. I needed to focus all my attention on that.

“We put a huge amount of hours in the last three weeks on a daily basis into rehab, into exercises, basically raising the level of intensity of training and rehab every single day, of course being very cautious of the knee and the reactions. I haven’t had any setback. If I had one setback, I would be then questioning whether I should be here or not. But I haven’t had a single one. Why not give it a shot?”

Always a pleasure playing with you my friend. And having some laughs. Good luck 🍀 for Wimbledon. pic.twitter.com/xkyZm7LQVX

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 28, 2024

Djokovic elaborated further, stressing his connection with Wimbledon, the tournament that inspired him when he was a young child dreaming of winning major titles and holding the No.1 ranking.

“I would just say it’s this incredible desire to play, just to compete,” he said….