He had an operation in Paris on June 5 but returned to action less than a month later at Wimbledon, where he wore a gray sleeve over that knee and played well enough to make it all the way to the final before losing to Alcaraz.
On Thursday, still wearing that sleeve, Djokovic was visited by a trainer while trailing 3-0 in the second set, then took anti-inflammatory pills a doctor gave him when the score was 4-1.
The medicine helped matters, Djokovic said, “But that effect is going to fade away tomorrow morning. So I will have probably a more realistic picture tomorrow and hope for the best.”
For all he has accomplished — more major championships than any other man in tennis history; 98 total trophies; more weeks at No. 1 than anyone else since the computerized rankings began a half-century ago — the one significant item Djokovic is missing from his resume is an Olympic title (he won a bronze at Beijing in 2008).
Djokovic did not lose a set through his first three matches at the Games, including a 6-1, 6-4 victory over rival Rafael Nadal.
Against Tsitsipas — a 25-year-old from Greece who twice was the runner-up to Djokovic in two major finals, including at the 2021 French Open — there were no apparent issues during the opening set. On that set’s last point, Djokovic slid to his right to smack a cross-court forehand winner, eyes wide, then waved his arms overhead to encourage the crowd to get rowdier.
But in the second set, he took an awkward step on one point, then another. He was grimacing and wincing and limping occasionally. His wife, Jelena, looked on anxiously from the stands while holding a small Serbian flag. His team appeared worried, too.
Things didn’t seem great on the scoreboard, either.
Tsitsipas served for the set at 5-3, earning three chances to force a third when he went up 40-love in that game. But Djokovic, as resilient as anyone, did not yield.
He broke there and, as usual, was superior in the concluding tiebreaker.
“I feel like I could have done so much more today,” Tsitsipas said. “Novak is one of the best players in the world. He … did give me a lesson: I should be much more into the match whenever I have the opportunity to close it, and today I didn’t show that.”
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