How Novak Djokovic overcame knee surgery to reach Wimbledon final in a month
Novak Djokovic beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 7-6 (2) 6-4 in the Wimbledon semifinal to reach his sixth successive final in the tournament. He will take on Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the final on Sunday, July 14.
Djokovic had to withdraw from French Open after reaching the quarterfinal at Roland Garros owing to a knee-injury he sustained in his fourth-round match. He tore his meniscus in the match against Francisco Cerundolo at Roland Garros.
He then underwent a knee-surgery last month and it was not certain until a point in time whether he would be able take part in Wimbledon. However, the Serb has yet again shown his mental resolve by being only a match away from winning a record-equaling eighth Wimbledon title.
Djokovic has been his clinical self at Wimbledon
The 37-year-old Serb has been clinical as usual in his journey so far at Wimbledon. He has dropped only two sets in the tournament so far. What is a bit surprising is that he lost a set apiece to two relatively unfancied players: Jacob Fearnley and Alexei Popyrin.
However, he has won his matches against the likes of Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets. The 37-year-old also got a walkover in the quarterfinal against Alex de Minaur without playing a single point, which definitely helped his cause in the senifinal.
Even at his current age, the great Serb retains a surgeon's precision in his game. He still has enough time to place his shots perfectly after weighing his opponent during the initial phases of a rally. In fact, other than Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, there is hardly anyone in men's tennis at the moment, who can even begin to think of prevailing over the Serb in the best-of-five format.
Djokovic will have revenge in mind against Alcaraz:
Djokovic lost against Alcaraz in a thrilling five-setter in last year's final and the Serb will want to settle the scores. The Spaniard served really well in his semifinal win over Medvedev, but he will have to deal with the greatest returner of all time in the final.
Broadly speaking, it will be a battle between Djokovic's backhand and Alcaraz's forehand in the final on Sunday. The player who is able to get his stronger wing more often will have the better chance of winning the match.
Moreover, Alcaraz also has consummate net-skills, which might test the Serb a great deal. However, irrespective of the result of the final, the Serb's successful return to tennis following the surgery should be a reason for delight for his supporters all over the worlf.