Novak Djokovic concluded his preparation for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships with a really solid display at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic, beating Daniil Medvedev in two sets.
The Serbian arrived to London last week with many doubts about whether he could truly play at Wimbledon. His arrival was probably a good hint that he could play, but nobody knew the state of his knee.
It’s not even been a month since his meniscus tear surgery, and it’s not an injury that heals quickly. It can take up to a month or even more, but Djokovic was spotted on the practice courts immediately after getting to the United Kingdom
The Wimbledon draw was difficult for Jannik Sinner. The new ATP No.1, which will lead the seeding of the Championships, found itself faced with an overall difficult draw full of pitfalls, right from the first rounds. Novak Djokovic’s situation is complex. The Serbian champion, drawn in the bottom half, can really do anything, like a deus ex machina. But this will all depend fundamentally on his physical condition.
Will he have recovered from meniscus surgery in such a short time? Will he be fully mentally recovered after a season full of disappointments? If at Wimbledon Djokovic (where he triumphed 7 times) will come back the real Djokovic we all know well, I believe that the chances for his opponents are ZERO, it is worth underlining this. Not even the best Sinner or the best Carlos Alcaraz could worry him. Roger Federer’s 8 titles (record) are a great stimulus for the Serbian champion, who is, on the eve of the tournament, the biggest unknown.
At the moment the favorite is Alcaraz. Carlitos, defending champion, comes from the triumph at Roland Garros. His tennis finds a perfect habitat on grass court and his possible semi-final with Sinner could only be an appetizer of what could be his tournament, which would go towards a natural second consecutive title at Church Road. But in tennis nothing is ever linear or obvious, so my analysis is only valid until Monday, then the Championships lawns will give us the answers.
Sinner’s journey, as mentioned, will be decidedly tough and full of pitfalls. After his debut with the German Yannick Hanfmann, the 22 year old could immediately meet Matteo Berrettini in a truly fascinating second round. Berrettini will first have to overcome the Hungarian Fucsovics to ensure an unprecedented battle on the Wimbledon grass against his countryman. The potential eighth would be with Ben Shelton, while in the quarterfinals there are Daniil Medvedev or Grigor Dimitrov.
