Taylor Fritz Shares Injury Advice He Gave Novak Djokovic

Taylor Fritz is optimistic that Novak Djokovic can return from his knee injury before Wimbledon.
Taylor Fritz shared details on his conversation with Novak Djokovic.
Taylor Fritz shared details on his conversation with Novak Djokovic. / Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday evening, the Serbian Olympic Committee announced that Novak Djokovic will play in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The news came as a pleasant surprise to fans who witnessed Djokovic go down with a knee injury during the fourth round of the French Open.

Since undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear, Djokovic has shared videos of himself rehabilitating. One of Djokovic's peers seems optimistic that the 37-year-old will return from injury in time for Wimbledon.

After his second-round match at the cinch Championships, Taylor Fritz provided a candid answer to media reporters questions about Djokovic's prognosis. Fritz had suffered the same injury at the same tournament in 2021.

Djokovic reached out to Fritz with questions about the recovery process. Fritz explained, "I told him what it was like for me. A lot of it comes down to the inflammation and how you react."

Fritz explained, "When I did it I couldn't even walk. People are different. It's the same actual injury. It really comes down to the level of inflammation."

Novak Djokovic returns a shot during his match at Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic suffered a knee injury at Roland Garros. / Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Fritz continued, "You pretty much have your full strength immediately. It's more just the inflammation from the surgery. As long as you can get that down and start playing without it puffing up again, you're actually going to be fine to play."

Fritz did add context by saying, "I was doing three - four hours of P.T., a lot of icing, trying to stick to a diet which was not going to cause extra inflammation because I was real determined to play Wimbledon."

Fritz concluded by stating, "If Novak goes to Wimbledon, he wants to be there to win." Compared to when he was a younger player, "Winning a couple of rounds was a solid result for me."

While Djokovic's status for Wimbledon remains a mystery, it is cool to learn more about the conversations held among the sport's best players. Djokovic has won Wimbledon seven times, including as recently as 2022.

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News: Rafael Nadal shared a video of his preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.


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Pat Benson

PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.