(London) Novak Djokovic will only play at Wimbledon if he is fit enough to “fight for the title”, the Serbian, who is recovering from knee surgery, has told the BBC.
“I will only participate if I know I am well enough to go far in the tournament and fight for the title, that is the condition,” said the current world number two, 37, as the draw for the draw takes place on Friday.
Djokovic, seven times titled on the turf of the All England Club, was forced to withdraw before his quarter-final at Roland Garros against Casper Ruud at the beginning of the month, victim of an injury to the medial meniscus of his right knee.
“If I feel like I can play close to my max or my max, then I’ll play. Otherwise, I will give the chance to someone else to participate,” explained the champion with 24 Grand Slam titles.
His chances of competing in the London Grand Slam, which begins on July 1, initially seemed low, but Djokovic’s performances are improving day by day and he practiced for two hours at Wimbledon’s Aorangi Park on Monday.
“I’m getting there gradually. I’m not pushing it 100% yet, but I hope it will come in the next few days. Rehabilitation is going in the right direction,” he said.
Djokovic said he would make a decision before Friday’s draw. “I didn’t come here to just play a few rounds.”
“Nole” has reached the Wimbledon final in the last five editions, losing last year in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz.
He also has his sights set on a gold medal at the Paris Olympics (he has never had better than bronze) which will begin on July 26.
If Andy Murray, who had back surgery last week, is also in a race against time to be ready for Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal will not participate in the tournament to devote himself to the Olympic Games.