Novak Djokovic has ‘reached tipping point’ as Wimbledon fate may be sealed

Novak Djokovic is facing an uncertain future after being forced to pull out of the French Open with a knee injury and now respected tennis voice Robbie Koenig has suggested he may have ‘reached a tipping point’ in his career.

Koenig, who won five ATP Tour doubles titles and the semifinals of the 1998 US Open, believes the outgoing world No 1 is ‘very likely’ to miss Wimbledon next month as he believes he will prioritise competing at this summer’s Olympic Games instead.

After coming back from a perilous position to beat Francisco Cerundolo in a dramatic fourth round match at Roland Garros on Monday, Djokovic underwent an MRI scan which revealed a torn medial meniscus in his right knee and forced him to withdraw from the tournament.

Djokovic underwent surgery on Wednesday that could give him a chance to play at Wimbledon at the start of July, but a return in time for the Olympic Games in Paris seems more realistic.

Now former player and highly respected broadcaster Koenig has told Tennis365 that the chances of Djokovic playing at both Wimbledon and the Olympics may be slim, as he admitted a torn medial meniscus will not heal in time for him to play at the All England Club.

“I was not surprised when he pulled out of the French Open because you could see something was not right,” said Koeing, who spoke exclusively to Tennis365 ahead of the launch of the Curro Centre Court Series, which will bring a new level of top-quality tournaments to South Africa this summer.

“You are coming into a condensed period of the year that he has targeted. Wimbledon is not that far away, the Olympics are coming up and he has stated his desire to try and win there.

“A meniscus… that doesn’t heal quickly, so I would not be surprised if he is out of Wimbledon. Then the Olympics come up a few weeks later and can you imagine him missing both events. That would be tragic given everything he has achieved in the sport.

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“If he does miss Wimbledon, it may give him his best shot of winning the Olympics, but it is amazing how quickly things have changed for him and you wonder if he may have reached a tipping point.

“I had Djokovic down for at least two majors in 2024, but the way Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have emerged, I feel like Wimbledon may be his best shot at winning another major now.”

Koenig spoke to Tennis365 as he welcomed the creation of a new local tennis tournament that forms part of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour.

Hosted by Curro Holdings in partnership with Tennis South Africa (TSA), the Curro Centre Court Series will take place at Curro Hillcrest in KwaZulu-Natal.

The series will consist of three women’s and three men’s tournaments run over three weeks between June and July.

These events will offer an opportunity for rising local tennis stars to face off against international professional players with attractive prize pots on offer.

Koenig believes the series will offer a valuable yardstick for local players to measure themselves against international competitors.

“Exposing aspiring players to international competition helps them to understand the level that is required if you want to pursue a tennis career,” he stated.

You might be good in South African terms, but in global terms, you might find you have a lot you need to work on. Tennis is also an expensive sport, so having a tournament like this in your backyard is invaluable as it drastically reduces travel costs.

“Competition is so important to any tennis player and we need to get as many quality tournaments in South Africa as possible to allow our players to test themselves and go to the next level.”