Novak Djokovic has a better chance of winning Wimbledon than the Olympics, says Grand Slam winner

A “reasonably in shape” Novak Djokovic stands a better chance of winning Wimbledon than gold at the Paris Olympics, according to former doubles world No 1 Paul McNamee.

Barely two weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus tear he suffered in his right knee, Djokovic now appears to be on track to play at Wimbledon.

Many tennis fans had feared the worst when the tennis great confirmed he sustained a serious injury during his fourth-round match at the French Open.

He underwent surgery on June 5 and medical experts stated he would be touch and go for Wimbledon, which gets underway on July 1, as athletes generally need a minimum of three weeks to recover.

However, the former world No 1 returned to the practice court on Thursday as he had his first hit after his operation and his progress videos on social media appear to suggest that he plans to compete at Wimbledon.

Djokovic also received an unexpected boost this week as it has been confirmed that he will be seeded second behind Jannik Sinner at the grass-court Grand Slam following Carlos Alcaraz second-round defeat at the Queen’s Club Championships.

It means the 24-time major champion won’t face Sinner before the final while he could also avoid Alcaraz if the Spaniard falls in the other half of the draw.

McNamee, who has won four men’s Grand Slam doubles titles and one mixed doubles major, thinks Djokovic has a good chance of winning the Wimbledon title if he is fit.

“Novak Djokovic, if he plays, will now be seeded 2 at Wimbledon. The chat is that the Olympics is his priority, which given his patriotic fervour, is admirable. However, the reality is if reasonably in shape he would have a better chance at Wimbledon than the Olympics…just saying,” the two-time Wimbledon doubles champion wrote on X.

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Djokovic has made no secret of the fact that his major goal this year is Paris 2024 as he wants to realise his lifelong dream of winning gold for Serbia at the Olympics.

The 2024 Games will be staged at Roland Garros and many have raised concerns about the switch from clay to grass and back to clay.

The Wimbledon men’s final will take place on July 14 and players won’t have much rest as the Olympic warm-up events get underway on July 15, although the top players are likely to only play later in the week, before the Games start on July 27 at Roland Garros.

It has been rumoured that Djokovic will use the Hamburg Open as his pre-Olympic tournament.