Djokovic reaches Olympic semis, but fears for his knee

Serbian Novak Djokovic downed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(3) on Thursday to reach the Paris Olympics semi-finals, but the 37-year-old has concerns whether he will be fit to continue his quest for an elusive gold medal.

The top seed trailed 2-5 in a dramatic second set, during which Djokovic saved three set points and twice called the physio for his right knee, the same knee which he injured in June on the same court, Court Philippe-Chatrier. Djokovic withdrew from Roland Garros after a five-set fourth-round win against Francisco Cerundolo and underwent right knee surgery.

The 98-time tour-level titlist fears he may have damaged the same knee in the Olympic quarter-finals.

“I dug deep and found a way,” Djokovic said. “Really glad that I managed to win the match. I had a scare early in the second set with the knee, kind of a deja vu from what happened a few months ago at Roland Garros, where I injured myself in a match, managed to finish the match victorious, but only to find out the next day that I tore my meniscus.

“So I’m hoping that’s not the case this time. I don’t know. I’m honestly concerned, but I’m going to let the medical team evaluate the knee, do examination. Tomorrow night I think I’m playing a night match at seven, so I have some time to recover and get ready. Hopefully I’ll be able to be physically fit for the semis.”

Djokovic visits with the physio Thursday at the Paris Olympics. Credit: Carl De Souza/AFP via Getty Images

The top seed moved gingerly and grimaced in pain throughout the early stages of the second set. After calling the physio at 0-3 and again at 1-4, Djokovic appeared to regain confidence in his movement. He crushed a forehand winner while sliding towards the right, putting loads of pressure on his right leg, on a pivotal deuce point. Djokovic saved three set points on return at 4-5, 0/40.

Djokovic, who now leads the Greek Tsitsipas 12-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, will be evaluated before his semi-final clash against 11th seed Lorenzo Musetti.

“I think even if [the medical staff] says that it’s not okay, I’ll probably get on the court and give it a try," said Djokovic, a singles bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "These are very rare chances to fight for a medal for my country. So I’m going to do everything possible in the next — less than 24 hours to put myself in a position to fight for Serbia.”

Musetti upset defending Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev 7-5, 7-5 in the quarter-finals. Djokovic has won six of his seven meetings against Musetti, including three matches this season. The Belgrade native defeated Musetti in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

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