Djokovic, after his direct entry to the Wimbledon semis: "It would have been a very tough match"

Novak Djokovic went from not knowing if he could participate in Wimbledon to securing a spot in the tournament's semifinals once again. The world number 2 had significant doubts due to the meniscus operation he had to undergo following his injury at Roland Garros. Now, Nole has managed to overcome all of that and will face Lorenzo Musetti to reach another consecutive final. However, he did not need to play the quarterfinals to face the Italian, as Alex de Miñaur was forced to retire before the match due to a hip injury sustained in his previous match.

Thus, the Serbian discussed with Tennis Channel about his semifinal qualification following the untimely withdrawal of the Australian and how he perceives his performance displayed since the first round. He also described this recovery as one of the best in his career and shared how Taylor Fritz played a crucial role in his decision to undergo surgery.

- How do you assess your level throughout the tournament?

"I think the last two matches I played were great. I started Wimbledon with a fairly convincing victory. In the next one, I struggled a bit to find the right level or movement I needed. But afterwards, I think, towards the end of the third-round match, I got it very competitive again. And the entire fourth-round match I played against Rune, I think it was fantastic, how I felt on the court and how I was hitting the ball. So, I'm excited to keep playing and to be in a new semifinal."

- Direct advancement to the semis after De Miñaur's withdrawal

"Obviously, it's not ideal for the tournament, and it's never good to progress due to a player's retirement. I wish Alex all the best in his recovery, and I hope he can return to the courts soon. Everyone saw that he got injured in the last point. I was watching the replay of that point, trying to understand where he got injured. Some were trying to guess if it was in the ankle, hip, or knee. So, I wish him a speedy recovery. He was playing really well and in great shape; it would have been a tough match for both of us if we had played. But that's how it goes, and I'm in the semifinals."

- One of his best recoveries

"This is one of the recoveries that would be in my top list, perhaps the 2nd or 3rd in terms of the time I needed to return to the desired level. It was the first time I faced this type of knee injury, as I had never suffered a serious knee injury. Unfortunately, I got injured in the middle of the fourth round at Roland Garros, tore my meniscus. A part had to be removed, which obviously wasn't where it should be, and I decided, along with my team members, to undergo arthroscopic surgery literally a day or two after that fourth-round match. The reason is that I consulted all the orthopedic doctors in the world that I know and my team knows, and they all said the same thing. For once, they were unanimous in their opinion that I needed to have the surgery and that the recovery time would be much faster than if I hadn't operated. That's at least what they explained to me, as I didn't know much about the meniscus before this happened."

- Taylor Fritz went through the same situation last year

"In fact, I spoke with Taylor Fritz. I've already told this story, but he was very kind to share his experience, his journey because he had more or less exactly the same situation three years ago. He got injured at Roland Garros and underwent surgery, the same arthroscopic intervention. They removed a piece of meniscus, and 21 days later, he was playing the first round of Wimbledon. So when I heard that, and if everything went well, if the swelling goes down, the rehabilitation process is respected, and if the knee responds well, there were many chances of making it to Wimbledon. That gave me a lot of confidence to go for it. To be honest, a few days after the surgery, I wasn't thinking about Wimbledon, I was just thinking about how to get off the crutches and start walking properly."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Djokovic, tras su pase directo a semis de Wimbledon: "Habría sido un partido muy duro"