There are fresh concerns that injury could derail Novak Djokovic’s Olympic dream after the Serbian struggled with a knee issue during his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion battled his way to a 6-3, 7-6(3), win over the eighth seed in what was a roller-coaster match. Djokovic got off to a solid start by easing through the opening set without facing a break point. However, during the early stages of the second frame, he started to show visible discomfort with his knee which prompted him to have a medical time-out followed by a second discussion with the physio later on.
To add to the drama, Djokovic was down 3-5, 0-40, in the second set but somehow managed to claw his way back with some gutsy tennis before prevailing in the tiebreaker after almost two hours of play.
The win moves the 37-year-old closer to his first Olympic gold medal but the biggest threat he now faces is his knee which he underwent surgery on earlier this year and is currently playing with protection around that area.
“Right now I have to go and check with the medical team.” He said immediately after beating Tsitsipas.
“The good thing is that I managed to finish, but I also managed to finish the fourth round of Roland Garros. Then I found out I tore my meniscus.”
“I don’t know what to say at the moment. I’m happy that I’ve managed to win the match, but I have to see what’s happening for the next one.”
Once again, Djokovic is in a race against time to be fit for his next match which will guarantee him at least a silver medal if he wins. Awaiting him in the semi-finals will be Lorenzo Musetti who took him to five sets when they clashed at the French Open earlier this year. Musetti defeated defending champion Alexander Zverev in his quarter-final match.
“He’s in terrific form,” Djokovic said of his next opponent.
“I hope I can be physically fit for that one because that’s what’s going to be necessary to try to try to get a win.”
Djokovic is aiming to become only the fifth singles player to have completed the golden slam – winning all four major titles and the Olympics. The players who have done this so far are Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi and Serena Williams.
