In the lead-up to
Wimbledon 2024,
Novak Djokovic expressed
his support for
Andy Murray following the recent surgery he underwent. The
Scottish player had low back surgery on June 22 after withdrawing from the
round of 16 at the Queen’s Club Championships against
Jordan Thompson.
There is still uncertainty regarding Murray's health status,
but just a week after the surgery and at 37 years old, there are clear doubts
about whether the three-time Grand Slam champion will be in competitive shape
when he debuts on Tuesday at SW19 against Czech player
Tomas Machac.
Djokovic hopes for Murray's fitness at Wimbledon
Djokovic finds himself in a similar situation to Murray,
having undergone knee surgery three weeks ago. The Serbian withdrew before
playing the quarterfinals of the
French Open against
Casper Ruud and quickly
went into surgery a couple of days later in an attempt to be in the best form
for Wimbledon.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion arrived at the All England
Club over a week ago and was quickly seen on the court, playing some tiebreaks
and practice sets against
Federico Coria,
Frances Tiafoe, and
Jannik Sinner. He
even defeated
Daniil Medvedev in an exhibition in Hurlingham two days ago.
While the Serbian finishes his preparations for the
tournament, he shared his thoughts on Andy Murray's physical condition: “I hear
he underwent surgery a week ago, or maybe less than a week ago,” Novak Djokovic
said. “The fact that he can hit the ball is a great sign. He definitely
deserves a great farewell from his favorite tournament, the tournament that he
won twice. He won the Olympic Games here; he is definitely a legend of our
sport.”
Andy Murray at 2023 Wimbledon first round.
“He should finish on his own terms, whether this is the last
tournament for him here in Wimbledon or he’s going to still play. That’s up to
him, really. We all hope that he is going to be physically fit enough to finish
on his own terms, and I wish him all the best.”
According to Murray in the last few hours, he will have one
final on-court test on Monday before deciding whether he will participate in
the first round of Wimbledon. The former world No. 1 is reportedly overcoming
back pain but mentioned that he has not regained the sensations in his right
leg due to the surgery.