Gauff reacts to Djokovic confirming he had a knee surgery.
American tennis star Coco Gauff took a moment to issue a classy message to Novak Djokovic after the 24-time Grand Slam champion publicly confirmed that he underwent a knee procedure.
After struggling with right knee issues during a five-set win over Francisco Cerundolo and ultimately withdrawing from his French Open quarterfinal versus Casper Ruud, it was reported that Djokovic had an arthroscopic knee procedure on Wednesday in Paris.
Also on Wednesday, it was reported that when Djokovic’s right knee was opened up, it was revealed that he escaped a major meniscus tear to his knee. With that being said, the procedure was easier and the 37-year-old may potentially just need three weeks to recover.
And on Thursday, Djokovic confirmed the reports from Wednesday and noted he was looking forward to hopefully recovering soon and returning to action.
“In the past day, I had to make some tough decisions after sustaining a meniscus tear during my last match. I’m still processing it all but I am happy to update you that the surgery went well,” Djokovic announced on Instagram.
“I am so appreciative of the team of doctors who have been by my side, as well as the overwhelming support I have received from my fans.
“I’m going to do my best to be healthy and fit to return to the court as soon as possible.
“My love for this sport is strong and the desire to compete at the highest level is what keeps me going.”
In the comment section of Djokovic’s post, Gauff wrote: “Get well soon! (praying emoji).”
How Djokovic sensed that it was a serious knee injury?
Against Cerundolo, Djokovic was looking flawless and easily won the first set with a 6-1 scoreline. But then early in the second set, Djokovic asked for a physio to come to the court. During their conversation, Djokovic dropped a worrisome bombshell when he was heard telling the physio that “I screwed up my knee.”
After getting treatment and taking some medication, Djokovic continued to play but he was limited in what he was able to do on the court. Then, Djokovic took more painkillers and ultimately managed to pull off a comeback 6-1 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-3 win.
But after reaching the French Open quarterfinal, Djokovic didn’t sound very optimistic about his injury, hinting he may not be able to play versus Ruud. That’s when it was perfectly clear that the 37-year-old Serb was very worried about his knee.
“Good thing about the slam is that you have a day between that will allow hopefully the healing process to happen more efficiently for me,” Djokovic said.
“That’s it. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow — or after tomorrow, if I’ll be able to step out on the court and play. You know, I hope so. Let’s see what happens.”
The following day, Djokovic announced what many feared would happen – he pulled out of the French Open quarterfinal.
Did Djokovic’s very late French Open finish a part in his knee injury?
After starting his French Open third-round match against Lorenzo Musetti at around 22:30 PM, Djokovic finished the match at 03:08 AM on Sunday morning. Many weren’t happy with Djokovic’s finish – including some of the top ATP and WTA stars – with several plays slamming that late finish as “unhealthy.”
And after Djokovic picked up a knee injury in his return to the court on Monday, many instantly started pointing fingers at his late finish over the weekend and how it didn’t give him enough time to recover for the Cerundolo match.
When Djokovic was asked about his late finish, he made it clear that “some things could have been handled differently” but other than that, he didn’t want to criticize the French Open in a major way.
“I don’t want to get into it. I have my opinions but I think there are great things to talk about as we are talking about this match and both Lorenzo’s and my performance stands out,” Djokovic said.
“I don’t want to be talking about schedule. I think some things could’ve been handled differently. But there’s beauty, as well, winning the match at 3:30am if it’s the last one of the tournament.
“But it’s not so I’m going to have to switch on all of my young genes and try and recover as quickly as possible.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic’s Wimbledon participation is now in doubt, as well as his Paris Olympics play. But if Djokovic’s recovery goes as planned and he recovers until the end of the month, he should be ready to play at the Olympics, which start on July 26th.
