"People thinking it's premature, reckless, I don't think it was" - Novak Djokovic on reaching at Wimbledon final weeks after knee surgery

Novak Djokovic recently talked about reaching the finals week at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships following knee surgery. The former World No.1 dismissed the idea held by many that his quick return to the court after surgery was "premature" and "reckless."

During the fourth round at the 2024 French Open, Djokovic tore the medial meniscus in his right knee, which subsequently forced him to withdraw from his quarterfinal match against Casper Ruud.

Following the injury, the Serb underwent surgery in early June, casting doubt on his participation in the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Despite this setback, the 24-time Grand Slam champion was resilient and made a comeback to the court at SW19.

He defeated the likes of qualifier Vit Kopriva, wildcard Jacob Fearnley, Alexei Popyrin, and 15th seed Holger Rune. He then received a walkover to the semifinals after his quarterfinal opponent, Alex de Minaur withdrew from the tournament due to a hip injury.

Most recently, Novak Djokovic triumphed over 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-4 in under three hours to secure his spot in the final of the grasscourt Major.

During the post-match press conference, Djokovic addressed concerns about his quick return to the court following knee surgery. He stated that his focus during rehab was solely on making it to Wimbledon and that he had pushed himself to achieve that goal.

"I don't want to prove people wrong. I was really focused on trying to make Wimbledon happen for me this year and I was not reckless on any day. I never pushed anything. So once we started rehab I followed every single day everything that they said that I have to do. I did even more than that, in terms of trying to make an effort for Wimbledon to come back," he said [at 4:29].

The former World No.1 revealed that he spent over 20 days in rehab and returned to the court only after receiving a positive signal from his medical team. the former World No.1 dismissed claims of people that his swift return to the court was "reckless."

"Everything that we've done in the process of 20+ days has been giving us a positive indication and signal. So I understand why people were thinking it's premature, it's maybe reckless. But I don't think it was, to be honest. I mean I just followed what they were saying," he added [5:36].

Novak Djokovic also talked about Taylor Fritz having a similar surgery to repair his meniscus and then making a successful comeback at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships within 21 days of the procedure.

The Serb stated that seeing Fritz's recovery inspired and instilled confidence in his own ability to return to the court after his surgery.

"Let's not forget Taylor Fritz. He was in the same situation and he had even less days than I had. He came back after 21 days exactly after his surgery and played three rounds in Wimbledon. It was really encouraging knowing that there was already someone like him who has been through pretty much the same situation and that gave me even more confidence that I can make it," Djokovic said [6:17].

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Novak Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz in the final of Wimbledon 2024

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic will go head-to-head with third seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. This match will also be a rematch from last year's final, where the Spaniard had defeated the Serb 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4 to win his first Wimbledon title and his second Grand Slam title overall.

Alcaraz kicked off his campaign at SW19 by defeating qualifier Mark Lajal in the first round, followed by a victory over Aleksander Vukic in the second. He then went on to overcome 29th seed Frances Tiafoe and 16th seed Ugo Humbert in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

The three-time Grand Slam champion then continued his winning streak, defeating 12th seed Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals and fifth seed Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals to advance to the final.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have previously met five times on the ATP Tour, with the Serb emerging victorious in three of those encounters.