Novak Djokovic Shares More Insight About His Injury as He Aims to Be At 'Optimal' Level for US Open

Novak Djokovic was not able to play at his best level during his clash against Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the Wimbledon Championships, which eventually led to him crashing out of the event. The 38-year-old now hopes to be at his best level before the US Open, which begins on August 30.

Djokovic was hoping to reach the final of the Wimbledon Championship for the seventh consecutive time when he took on Sinner in the semi-finals. But the Serbian had suffered some physical strain after having a nasty fall during his quarter-final clash against Flavio Cobolli, which he won in three sets.

In fact, Djokovic had revealed after the match that he would need at least 24 or 48 hours to know if the nasty fall would affect him physically. The fall did affect him as his movement was limited during his match against Sinner. He noticeably didn’t slide as often as he did on the grass-court.

After the 3-6, 3-6, 4-6, loss to Sinner, he was asked about his injury during his press conference. The 38-year-old revealed that he didn’t consider withdrawing before the match despite the injury because he believed he could still compete against the World No.1 at the Center Court:

I didn’t consider retiring before the match; I thought that by playing a bit more static, I could compete. In fact, during the first six games, I was doing well. However, during an explosive movement to the right, I noticed a significant worsening.

Then, Djokovic was asked how long it would take him to recover from the injury. The 24-time Grand Slam champion revealed that it won’t be long and that he’s certain that he will be at his optimal level before the US Open in New York:

This injury won’t keep me off the courts for too long. Unfortunately, I’ve had similar issues lately and recovered quickly. I believe I can arrive at the US Open in optimal condition and play at the highest level.

Djokovic tore his meniscus at the 2024 French Open after slipping, which forced him to withdraw from his quarter-finals clash against Casper Ruud. At the Australian Open in January, he sustained an injury during his match against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals but did well to overcome the Spaniard. However, in the semi-finals against Alexander Zverev, he retired due to injury and was away from the tour for more than three weeks.

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Novak Djokovic last claimed a Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open. Since then he has managed to reach one final, which was at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The 38-year-old has been beaten by Jannik Sinner on three occasions in the semi-finals since 2024, and he’s currently not at the same level as the Italian and Carlos Alcaraz.