Novak Djokovic ‘is pushing hard to play Wimbledon’ as he takes another big step towards a speedy recovery

Novak Djokovic’s comeback is gathering momentum as it has been revealed that the tennis great is set for a shock return to the practice court just a couple of weeks after undergoing knee surgery.

Many assumed Djokovic would miss the 2024 edition of Wimbledon after he underwent an operation to repair the medial meniscus he tore in his right knee during the fourth round of the French Open.

Even the medical community gave him a slim chance of playing at the grass-court Grand Slam as the minimum time to recover from surgery was three weeks.

Djokovic himself didn’t rule out playing at Wimbledon – which gets underway on July 1 – as he stated following surgery: “I’m going to do my best to be healthy and fit to return to the court as soon as possible. My love for this sport is strong and the desire to compete at the highest level is what keeps me going.”

Last week he issued a “progress” update on Instagram as a video showed him training in gym and already putting pressure on the knee as he was doing some light jogging and various other exercises.

And he is now set to take another big step in his recovery process as he is expected to set foot on court to have a hit, according to respected journalist Craig Shapiro.

“Reliable sources telling me Novak hit today for the first time since the knee procedure and is pushing hard to play Wimbledon. Let’s see,” he wrote on X.

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The 24-time Grand Slam winner has just over a week to get 100% fit for Wimbledon, but American No 1 Taylor Fritz recently told Tennis365’s Alex Spink that “it is possible” Djokovic will be ready.

The world No 12 suffered a similar injury at Roland Garros in 2021, but 20 days later he was back in action.

“I told him what it was like for me,” Fritz said. “A lot of it comes down to the inflammation and how you react.

“It’s possible for Novak to play. It’s the exact same thing that I had and I played. Obviously, I wasn’t contending to win a title, I was just showing up to hopefully win a couple of rounds – but it is possible.”

He added: “When I did it I couldn’t even walk. People are different. It’s the same actual injury. It really comes down to the level of inflammation.

“You pretty much have your full strength immediately. It’s more just the inflammation from the surgery. As long as you can get that down and start playing without it puffing up again, you’re actually going to be fine to play.”

Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli also suggested that Djokovic will most likely play at the grass-court Grand Slam.

“What I can tell you is that, internally, what is said is that there is a greater chance that Djokovic will play Wimbledon than the other way around,” she said.

“So we have to stop thinking that he won’t play at Wimbledon. And if he finally plays, of course he will be one of the two favourites.”