After sensational comeback against the Argentine Francisco Cerùndolo, which earned him access to the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic he expressed some doubts about the continuation of his tournament due to the after-effects of the knee injury suffered during the match.
The origin of pain
A problem that, in reality, had already emerged long before the start of the Parisian Slam.“In the last two weeks I have had a slight discomfort in my right knee, but I haven’t had an injury that worried me”reveals the world number 1 during the post-match press conference. “I’ve played a few tournaments and haven’t had any problems until today. Of course the very late match a few nights ago didn’t help my sleep, biorhythm and recovery, but I actually felt great when I stepped onto the court, at best of my possibilities given the circumstances”adds Nole.
In the third game of the second set the fall occurs which complicates everything: the ache forces the Serbian tennis player to ask for the intervention of a physiotherapist in an attempt to solve the problem. “For two sets, two and a half sets, I didn’t want to stay too long in the rallies. Every time he made sudden drop shots or changed direction, I didn’t feel comfortable running”specifies Djokovic,“at a certain point I didn’t know, to be honest, whether or not to continue with what was happening.”
After taking the first ones painkillersNole asks for more at the conclusion of the third set. “The maximum dose that was administered, as the doctor told me, became effective after 30-45 minutes, or at the end of the fourth set, when things started to improve”continues the tennis player,“I started to feel less restricted in my movement. Basically, the entire fifth set was almost pain-free, which is great.”
The doubts and accusations in the camp
The hope is that the day of rest will help him recover, but there is no certainty about this. “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow if I will be able to get on the field and play. I hope so. Let’s see what will happen”, declares the Serbian. Doubts about the care of Chatrier’s fund, however, remain.
“I got injured today. Yes, I survived. I won the match. Great. But will I be able to play the next one? I don’t know. I don’t know the severity of the injury. But could this injury have been avoided? Maybe if there was a little more care field during the sets”, explains the leader of the ATP ranking. Concerned about the conditions of the Chatrier floor, explains Djokovic, he asked the staff several times in vain to sweep the court not only at the end of the set, so as to better distribute the earth and prevent it from compacting and becoming slippery, which often happens after heavy rains like those that fell in recent days, or that potholes formed.
“I spoke to the chair umpire, who I asked if it was possible to sweep the court. I understand not at every change of court, but every second, every third change of court, but in any case without waiting for the conclusion of the set, so as to have a more frequent care of the fundus”reveals the Serbian. “He said he would check it out, and he talked to the insiders or the supervisor, the insiders, and the answer was always negative.”
So from the number one in the world respect for those who work with great commitment, but also a slap on the wrist for not having operated in such a way as to prevent an injury from occurring.
Nole presumably will not train before taking to the field in the quarter-finals, exactly as happened the day before the match against Musetti, so the evaluation of the consequences of the injury will take place in the next 48 hours.
In case he fails to recover at the end of the tournament Jannik Sinner he would become number one in the world ranking, although knowing the Italian tennis player he would certainly prefer to wrest the scepter from Djokovic after a fair confrontation on the pitch and not due to an early retirement.
