The Serbian champion talked about his condition after the new knee problem he suffered in the 2nd set of the quarter-final won against Stefanos Tsitsipas

© Getty Images Sport – Matthew Stockman

New records, great Olympic ambitions, glory (even deeper) within reach, but also new worries: Novak Djokovic, after winning the first set against Stefanos Tsitsipas, has suffered new knee problems on the same court – Court Philippe-Chatrier – that saw him injure his meniscus last June 3.

The Serbian champion fears that the miraculous success, at least for the disadvantage accumulated in the second set against the Greek, could have repercussions on his knee. Djokovic found a way to recover from two breaks and close the challenge in the tie-break, but he admitted that he will have to discuss with his medical staff to make the best decision.

“I don’t know how my knee is yet. I have to talk to my medical staff. It’s true that I managed to win in the end, but it also happened in the last edition of Roland Garros in the round of 16 and then I had to withdraw. At the moment I’m happy to have won, but I don’t know what the rest of the tournament will bring me,” told Djokovic Eurosport, before focusing on the Olympic semifinal against Lorenzo Musetti.

“I know that now we play every day, we’ll probably face each other tomorrow afternoon in the semifinal. He’s in terrible form, in the last tournaments he’s at least reached the semifinal. In the third round here, a few weeks ago, we played until three in the morning. I hope I can rest enough to try to win,” he added.

In the last edition of Roland Garros, Djokovic did not take part in the quarterfinal with Casper Ruud and was forced to undergo surgery. The stakes are perhaps higher for him in this case, because winning a medal for his country at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games remains his big goal, in what is perhaps the last chance of his career.