Twenty-four-time major winner Novak Djokovic says he is “pain free” and will compete at Wimbledon this week, despite recently undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
Djokovic, 37, was forced to withdraw from the French Open quarterfinals after tearing the medial meniscus in his right knee. He recently defeated world No. 5 Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 during an exhibition match Friday. Djokovic wore a brace on his knee during the contest.
“I don’t see myself holding back,” Djokovic told reporters Saturday. “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.”
Djokovic enters Wimbledon as the world No. 2, one spot behind Jannik Sinner and one spot ahead of Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon final. The result ended Djokovic’s reign at four straight titles. The Serb has won seven total Wimbledon titles, trailing only Roger Federer’s eight.
FanDuel lists Djokovic with the third-best odds (+340) of winning at Wimbledon. Sinner (+175) and Alcaraz (+230) have the best odds, followed by Djokovic, Hubert Hurkacz (+1600), Alexander Zverev (+1900) and Jack Draper (+2900).
Djokovic will face qualifier Vit Kopriva, the world No. 123, in the first round Tuesday. He is a comfortable favorite (-7000) to beat Kopriva (+2000), a 27-year-old from the Czech Republic who’s competing at his second career major. Djokovic will be making his 19th appearance at the All England Club.
“I didn’t come here to play a few rounds and prove to myself and others that I can actually compete in one or two matches,” Djokovic said. “I really want to go for the title.”
