"Big winner... Novak Djokovic's surgeon"- Journalist on Serb's miraculous recovery at Wimbledon 2024 to reach final despite earlier injury concerns

Novak Djokovic's participation in the 2024 Wimbledon Championships was doubtful due to his fitness just weeks before the tournament. Following the Serb's qualification for the final of the grass-court major on Friday, tennis journalist Jon Wertheim remarked that the tournament's big winner was the former's surgeon.

The 37-year-old reached his tenth title clash at Wimbledon final after defeating 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 7-6, 6-3. His qualification comes just weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee due to a torn meniscus, an injury he sustained during the 2024 French Open that led to his withdrawal from the tournament. Throughout the tournament, he has been seen using an Ash knee brace.

After Djokovic's semifinal victory over Musetti, Jon Wertheim praised the Serb's surgeon on X (formerly Twitter), stating that they are the big winners of the tournament, regardless of whether the World No. 2 defeats Carlos Alcaraz in the final on Sunday.

“The big winner of this event, no matter what happens….Djokovic’s surgeon #WIMBLEDON” - Jon Wertheim tweeted

Before kicking off his title pursuit, Djokovic arrived at Wimbledon over a week before the tournament to race back to fitness. He told the press that he would only play in the tournament if he felt fit enough to compete for the title.

“I didn’t come here to play a few rounds, If I know I can play close to my maximum or at maximum, then I’ll play. If not, then I’ll give somebody else a chance to play. I really will only play if I know I am in a state which is good enough to go far in the tournament and fight for the title, so that’s the condition.

“Rehab is going in the right direction every single day, a few percent better and better. That’s what’s giving me hope and encouragement to keep going” he said

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will meet in the Wimbledon final for a second consecutive year

Wimbledon 2023 Final

Novak Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. This will be a repeat of their clash in last year’s edition at this stage of the tournament, where Alcaraz won his maiden Wimbledon title by defeating the Serb 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.

The Serb cruised through the opening rounds of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, defeating Vit Kopriva, Jacob Fearnley, Alexei Popyrin, and Holger Rune. A walkover in the quarterfinals (after Alex de Minaur withdrew due to a hip injury) sent him to the semifinals, where he defeated Italy's Lorenzo Musetti.

Alcaraz, on the other hand, began his title defense with victories over Mark Lajal and Aleksandar Vukic in the first and second rounds. He then emerged victorious after a five-set thriller against Frances Tiafoe in the third round. In the fourth round, he defeated Ugo Humbert and went on to beat Tommy Paul and Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinal and semifinal, respectively.

The head-to-head record between Djokovic and Alcaraz stands at 3-2 in favor of the 37-year-old. The last time they faced off was in the semifinal of the Nitto ATP Finals, where the World No. 2 emerged victorious.