Paris—Novak Djokovic expressed concern about his surgically repaired right knee at the Paris Games on Thursday night after experiencing pain during his 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas. This win advanced the 24-time Grand Slam champion to the Olympics semifinals for the fourth time, as he continues to pursue his first gold medal.
“I’m concerned about the state of the knee. I can’t provide exact information because I don’t have it yet. I need to examine it with my physio and the tournament’s medical staff. Let’s see,” said Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia, who will face Lorenzo Musetti of Italy on Friday. “I’m hoping I can be ready.”
Djokovic mentioned feeling “sharp pain” early in the second set against Tsitsipas at Court Philippe Chatrier, the same stadium where he originally tore his meniscus on June 3 during the French Open, forcing him to withdraw. He underwent surgery in Paris on June 5 but returned to action less than a month later at Wimbledon, where he wore a gray sleeve over his knee and reached the final before losing to Carlos Alcaraz.
On Thursday, still wearing that sleeve, Djokovic was attended to by a trainer while trailing 3-0 in the second set and took anti-inflammatory pills provided by a doctor when the score was 4-1. “The medicine helped,” Djokovic said, “But that effect will fade by tomorrow morning. I will have a clearer picture then and hope for the best.”
Despite his numerous accomplishments, including more major championships than any other man in tennis history, 98 total trophies, and the most weeks at No. 1 since the computerized rankings began, Djokovic is still missing an Olympic title, having won a bronze in Beijing in 2008. He has made it clear that winning an Olympic title is a priority this season.
Djokovic did not lose a set in his first three matches at the Games, including a 6-1, 6-4 victory over rival Rafael Nadal. Against Tsitsipas, a 25-year-old from Greece who has twice been the runner-up to Djokovic in major finals, there were no apparent issues in the first set. Djokovic ended that set with a cross-court forehand winner and encouraged the crowd to get louder.
However, in the second set, Djokovic took some awkward steps, grimaced, winced, and limped occasionally. His wife, Jelena, watched anxiously from the stands holding a small Serbian flag, and his team appeared worried.
Tsitsipas served for the set at 5-3 and had three chances to force a third set when he went up 40-love, but Djokovic, as resilient as ever, did not yield. He broke back and dominated the tiebreaker to win the match.
“I feel like I could have done so much more today,” Tsitsipas said. “Novak is one of the best players in the world. He taught me a lesson: I need to be much more focused when I have the opportunity to close out a match, and today I didn’t do that.”
In the other semifinal on Friday, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, the youngest man to reach the singles semifinals at a Summer Games since Djokovic in 2008, will face Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada.
