Novak Djokovic expressed concern about his knee injury resurfacing after his victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Serb recently suffered a medial meniscus tear in his right knee during his fourth-round match against Francisco Cerundolo, which forced him to withdraw from the quarterfinals of the French Open earlier this year.
However, the 37-year-old underwent surgery and rehabilitation to return in time for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Not only did he make his comeback, but he also reached the tournament’s final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets.
The World No. 2 then headed back to Paris, aiming for the elusive gold medal. Djokovic had a smooth run up to the quarterfinals, defeating Matthew Ebden, Rafael Nadal, and Dominik Koepfer. During his match against Stefanos Tsitsipas, he was on course for another comfortable victory, but in the second set, he started limping and appeared to be in pain, prompting him to call for the physio.
Djokovic turned the game around in the second set from 0-4 down and also 3-5, 0-40 down to win the match 6-3, 7-6(3) in two hours and two minutes.
After the match, the 24-time Major champion expressed concern about his knee, stating he was in immense pain but was unsure of the cause. Djokovic said (via a post on X by journalist Sasa Ozmo):
“I am very worried, to be honest. I don’t know what to say. The pain was very strong for two games after it happened. I don’t know if I slipped or what happened.”
“It resembled Roland Garros, where I managed to close out the match, only to find out that the injury was serious. I pray to God for everything to be OK.”