Novak Djokovic advances to the third round of Wimbledon Open 2024 Men's Singles, where he is gunning for his 25th Grand Slam title and tying to tie Roger Federer's all-time record of eight Wimbledon men's singles wins.
It took him four sets to dispose of Scottish youngster Jacob Fearnleyl, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.
Many think that Djokovic having a hard time against a 22-year-old could be because of his shortened recovery period.
The Serbian great had to withdraw from the French Open due to a torn meniscus in his right knee.
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At the start of June, reports from the French newspaper L'Equipe claimed that Djokovic would need surgery and would therefore miss the Wimbledon Open.
However, he is in London now collecting victories. He did have the surgery, but he does not believe he is 100 percent healthy.
Still, Djokovic insisted he needs those matches despite the risk.
"The more matches I have, the better the chance I'll have to feel more comfortable moving around and gain that speed, agility, change of direction - that freedom that I'm looking for, really. I had it in certain moments today, certain moments in the first match, but then it's still not there," he told reporters.
"In a way, it's expected and normal when you come back from surgery. The body's trying to understand what's going on."
Novak Djokovic injury scare
The British crowd was excited about Fearnley taking on the man with the most Grand Slam titles.
It was an uneasy game, though, for Djokovic supporters. Fearnley might be a wild card, but he still managed to give the 37-year-old a hard time by pushing the match to four sets.
The Serbian took the first two sets, but Fearnley, participating in his first major, came back in the third, 7-5. The next was difficult but concluded with a 7-5 set for Nole.
Fans held their breath at one point during the game when Djokovic slipped on the baseline before dropping a set. He had to moan at the box and check his knee before continuing.
All is good for him for now. Novak Djokovic advances to the third round to face world no. 47 Alexei Popyrin of Australia.
Other results in Wimbledon Open 2024
The usual names are picking up wins one by one. Third seed and current no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is also in the third round and set to face Frances Tiafoe of the United States.
French Open 2024 finalist Alexander Zverev is also through to the next round after beating Marcos Giron. He will face hometown hero Cameron Norrie.
First seed Jannik Sinner is also set to play his third match of the tournament against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanović. He won his first two in four sets.
The biggest casualty so far is Stan Wawrinka, who lost to Gael Monfils. Wawrinka has won all Grand Slam events except Wimbledon. At 39 years old, his window to win the London joust is closing.
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