World number one and two get caught in a single frame on Centre Court ahead of the mega grass-court event in London. Since Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from the French Open 2024 quarterfinals due to his knee injury, everyone in the tennis world has been curious to know whether he’ll participate in Wimbledon this year or focus on the Paris Olympics. Djokovic has firmly stated that he’d only take part in this tournament if he believes he can challenge the title. However, clips from his recent practice session with Jannik Sinner have led fans to believe that the Serbian is not 100% heading into Wimbledon this year.

The sole purpose of his travel to London was to test himself on the grass. “The plan was to try to play Wimbledon, so that’s what I’m doing. That’s why I came to train and see how it goes. I can’t give many details about the knee, but it’s going well. The rehabilitation is going in the right direction every day. Little by little it’s getting better,” Novak Djokovic said in an earlier interview. He returned to Centre Court for the first time since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in last year’s Wimbledon final match.

Novak Djokovic practiced for nearly 50 minutes with Jannik Sinner. He wore a grey support on his right knee during the practice session. Afterward, he was spotted posing happily for pictures with his team and ground staff. He also threw his hat to two children, watching the session.

When asked about his health, the Serb said, “I am feeling good, I am feeling good.” The 37-year-old tennis star also gave a thumbs up when asked if he would be in today’s Wimbledon draw. However, fans were concerned after seeing him struggle during the practice session.

Tennis fans showcasing their concern over Novak Djokovic’s participation in the Wimbledon 2024

Djokovic was seen struggling with his forehand against Jannik Sinner during the practice session. Unlike Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer, the Serb didn’t have such an effective forehand earlier in his career. However, he worked on it for several years, and it has now become one of his lethal weapons on the court. Improving his weaknesses has significantly impacted his dominance on the court, but a fan was worried after seeing him struggle with the same shot. He wrote, “Djokovic doesn’t look great going out to that forehand.“

The evolution of Djokovic’s forehand is truly exceptional. He can now hit forehands with more variation, topspin, and exceptional angles, creating outrageous winners from anywhere on the court. But will this weapon backfire if he takes part in Wimbledon this year? Well, here’s one suggestion to his opponents from a fan, “Just hit to Djokovics FH and make him run down every ball. He won’t win if everyone sticks to that game plan.“

While some parts of the tennis world wish for his strong comeback this season, others hope to see his downfall. These rivalries mean more to the fan bases than just the players involved. Andy Roddick recently spoke about this too! Talking about rivalries, the current world no.1 trails by 3-4 against Novak Djokovic. Moreover, Djokovic has defeated Sinner twice in the Wimbledon. Relating to the same a fan highlighted, “Crazy to thing that just a year ago, Nole was owning Sinner here. Now it would be a totally different story…“

Has Novak Djokovic run out of fuel? His compatriot, Dusan Lajovic thinks otherwise, “He’s (Novak Djokovic) always been such a fighter. Even if he gives himself a one percent chance to compete, he’s going to do everything to maximize that.” Do fans believe Djokovic has a real chance against Sinner this year? “No way Djokovic beats Sinner if they meet,” said another fan.

Tennis fans might remember Roger Federer injured his knee in 2016 and was forced to undergo knee surgery where the meniscus was “trimmed“. Although, he came back and played for almost six years after that, removing part of the meniscus changes the loading on the tibia, which often leads to pain, more surgeries, and suffering.

Federer went through four knee surgeries after that! This perhaps led a concerned fan to say, “Djokovic might be rushing this comeback. Hopefully doesn’t impact the rest of his career like it did to rogers.” Now, it will be interesting to see if the Serb (7) can match Federer’s astonishing 8-titles triumphs record in Wimbledon this year.