Djokovic, “pain free” na bago ang Wimbledon
Seven up: Novak Djokovic on his way to a seventh Wimbledon title in 2022 / Adrian DENNIS / AFP
Inihayag ni Novak Djokovic na siya ay “pain free” na makaraang talunin si Daniil Medvedev sa isang exhibition match nitong Biyernes, bago ang Wimbledon.
Matatandaan na sa mga unang bahagi ng buwang ito, ay kinailangan ng surgery ng dating world number one na si Djokovic, ang seven-time Wimbledon champion, kasunod ng isang serious knee injury sa French Open.
Subalit nitong Biyernes, ay kinuha ng 37-anyos ang kaniyang lugar sa draw para sa Wimbledon, na magsisimula sa Lunes, kung saan makakalaban ng second seeded na si Djokovic, ang 123rd-ranked na si Vit Kopriv ng Czech Republic sa grass-court Grand Slam.
Hindi kagandahan ang mga naging galaw ni Djokovic sa kaniyang 6-3, 6-4 win laban kay Medvedev sa kanilang exhibition event sa Hurlingham Club sa London, kung saan naka-strap pa ang kanang tuhod ng Serbian player, ngunit maganda ang kaniyang mga serve.
Sinabi ni Djokovic, “I can tell you that I enjoyed myself really, really much today. I can tell you that pain-free tennis is the best tennis. I was pain-free and I’m really glad. It was a great test obviously against one of the best players in the world.”
Dagdag pa niya, “I’ve played a couple of practice sets but I really wanted to test myself. The test was very successful so I’m obviously really glad. It’s been an intense three week after surgery, spending a lot of hours rehabbing.”
Aniya, “I kind of always wanted to give myself a chance to be in London. I think my surgeon is here. He’s the MVP (most valuable player) for sure the last three weeks. I’m trying to take it day by day and see how far it goes.”
Napilitan si Djokovic na umatras bago pa man ang kaniyang quarter-final game sa French Open laban kay Casper Ruud makaraang mapunit ang medial meniscus sa kanan niyang tuhod.
Kasunod nito ay humingi siya ng tulong sa mga kapwa niya tennis players at mga atletang dumanas ng kaparehong injuries, kabilang ang American player na si Taylor Fritz, na tatlong taon na ang nakalilipas ay ganito rin ang dinanas pero gumaling sa takdang panahon para sa Wimbledon.
Ayon kay Djokovic, “I asked him, I asked many athletes — (Stan) Wawrinka, (skier) Lindsey Vonn, (footballer) Zlatan Ibrahimovic — and they were all very kind to share some of their experiences and give me some contacts of people who could help me out.”
