Former Wimbledon champion drops bold revelation about Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic suffered a torn meniscus at the French Open. The injury caused him to have nearly immediate surgery so he could have any hopes of a quick recovery. There is no known timetable for his return because the same kind of recovery normally takes anywhere from three to eight weeks. This means the Serb could be back by Wimbledon in early July or miss the event altogether.

One question Djokovic is probably asking himself is whether trying to get back to playing high-level tennis so quickly is worth a potential long-term issue. He might be more stressed because while he normally has won a Grand Slam by this point in the calendar year, he has not even made the final of any tournament so far.

He might sense that at 37 years old what time he has left to compete for major titles is running short. Or he might be taking the approach that he is going to play until he is 40 and has several more years to try to add to his 24 Grand Slam victories. Anyone who has won at the level Djokovic has is going to have confidence and doubt that most of us cannot fathom.

There is still a chance Novak Djokovic plays at Wimbledon

Chances for Djokovic playing at Wimbledon have seemed slim since there is only a month between the end of the French Open and the beginning of Wimbledon and taking much time off means a player might not be in their best form for the grass-court major. The Serb has won Wimbledon seven times, but that does not mean he will automatically be successful in 2024.

He has won the Australian Open ten times, for instance, but that did not stop him from being bounced out in Melbourne in the semifinals in 2024. He still has to earn any victories he gets.

Former Wimbledon women's singles champion and current podcaster Marion Bartoli feels she has some insight on how soon Djokovic might return. Speaking on her RMC Sport podcast, she revealed she has spoken with a member of the Serb's medical team and the thinking is that Djokovic will return in time for Wimbledon. He is already walking without crutches, but going from crutches to top tennis form is another discussion.

Still, Bartoli said, "You know, I know the physiotherapist who takes care of Novak’s rehabilitation well...And 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. So we have to stop thinking that he won’t play at Wimbledon."

Of course, what might be said about Djokovic's team might be one of optimism instead of expectation. Even if he comes back to play at Wimbledon, expectations of him winning a title should be relatively low.

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