Novak Djokovic is 37 and had knee surgery last month but faces Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final
Novak Djokovic was far from convinced he could win Wimbledon when the tournament began less than a month after his surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. «I was just thinking about moving well (and) not injuring myself,» he said.
After getting through his first few matches at the All England Club, though, Djokovic thought: «OK, I'm actually playing close to my best, and I can have a shot at the title.»
Now he's just one victory away from what would be an eighth championship at Wimbledon — equaling Roger Federer for the most by a man — and a 25th Grand Slam trophy overall, more than any tennis player ever. Won't be easy: On Sunday, Djokovic will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a rematch of last year's Wimbledon final; Kate, the Princess of Wales, is set to be there in a rare public appearance after her cancer diagnosis.
«History is on the line,» Djokovic said about the milestones at stake for him. «Of course, it serves as a great motivation, but at the same time, it's also a lot of pressure and expectations. Every time I step out on the court now, even though I'm 37 and competing with the 21-year-olds, I still expect myself to win most of the matches. And people expect me to win, whatever, 99% of the matches that I play.»
It's doubtful that many counted on him to win enough to make his way to the last day of this fortnight — at least they probably didn't on June 3, the day he hurt his knee at the French Open. Or on June 4, the day he withdrew from his quarterfinal at that tournament, where
