Novak Djokovic insists he isn’t superhuman despite Wimbledon rival Carlos Alcaraz labelling him as such. The Serbian had been in a race against time to be fit to compete at SW19, having undergone knee surgery following a meniscus tear during the French Open earlier this month, but now insists he’s “pain-free”.
Defending champion Alcaraz, 21, was mightily impressed with Djokovic’s speedy recovery, and lavished him with praise ahead of the tournament.
But Djokovic, 37, thinks the “superhuman” tag is better suited to another player on the tour, Taylor Fritz.
“Well, [I’m] not really [superhuman],” Djokovic said, smiling when told about Alcaraz’s comments. “I think Taylor Fritz is a superhuman. He recovered in 21 days. I have a bit more if we talk about that.
“No, I mean, look, the fact, like Taylor, we mentioned him couple times, but his situation really gave me optimism that I can make it, too.
“Knowing that there was someone who is a tennis player, plays on such a high level, already succeeded in such a short amount of time to be on the court and compete, it just made me a bit more relaxed, I guess, a bit more confident in my whole process and journey of rehabilitation.”
Djokovic has had an almost spotless fitness record over the course of his illustrious career, despite competing at an elite level week in, and week out for over 15 years. He puts this down to taking extra good care of himself and “listening to his body”.
“I didn’t have a setback,” he continued. “If I had a day where my knee just flares up and I have swelling and inflammation, of course I would be slowing down, then my whole Wimbledon, this year’s participation, would be in doubt. But that didn’t happen. It’s not happening.
“My intensity is very high now… the knee is really fine.”
Djokovic kicks off his Wimbledon campaign against qualifier Vit Kopriva on Monday and could face British wild card Jacob Fearnley in the second round with a win.
The 24-time major champion will be desperate to avenge last year’s epic final defeat to Alcaraz, particularly as the result ultimately denied him a calendar Grand Slam (winning all four majors in the same year).
Djokovic is yet to taste victory at a major this year, having lost in the semi-final of the Australian Open to World No. 1 Jannick Sinner, and having been forced to pull out of the French Open due to injury. It’s only the fifth time in 14 years that the Belgrade-born star is heading into Wimbledon looking for his first major win of the year.
