Nick Krygios relishing chance to play against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon

Australia’s tennis star Nick Krygios has expressed excitement after being given a chance to play against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic on the off day. The 29-year-old has been struggling with fitness concerns for a long period of time. He has been very much out of action since September 2022 and has also undergone multiple surgeries.

Krygios will now have an opportunity to play against the former world number one in an off day during Wimbledon 2024. The third Grand Slam is already underway where players from all over the world are participating to secure the ultimate prize.

The Canberra-born star, in a post on his official account on the social media platform X — previously known as Twitter — expressed excitement after getting an opportunity to play against Djokovic after such a long time. Krygios stated that he feels like a ‘little kid’ once again. “Hitting with Novak tomorrow on his day off : feel like a little kid again…. Feeling excited. Long way back from this surgery!” he wrote.

Because of the injury, Krygios has now missed the last seven Grand Slams. Unfortunately, his injury could not have come at a worse time, as the 29-year-old was going through arguably the best phase of his career. He played in his maiden and, until now, his only Grand Slam final against Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2022, where he came second best with a score of 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(7–3).

On the other hand, Djokovic himself has struggled with fitness concerns this season. He recently lost the top spot in the ATP rankings after being forced to withdraw from the recently concluded French Open because of a knee injury just before the start of the quarterfinal against Norway’s Casper Ruud.

The 37-year-old, who is often regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles, has booked his place in the second round of Wimbledon after beating Vit Kopriva in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.