Caty McNally is echoing Novak Djokovic‘s views on surgeries! Now, we all know Djokovic isn’t a big fan of surgeries and he has time and again expressed his displeasure on going under the knife. He is a staunch believer of body autonomy. Nole is someone who always prefers to let his body heal naturally rather than using drugs and surgeries. However, at times he was forced to go against his will, for the sake of a quick recovery. Even to the 22-year-old American tennis star McNally, surgery is something that is pretty much a “scary” thing!

McNally was struggling with her hamstring issues and elbow injuries last year. As a result, she was forced to withdraw from quite a few tournaments. However, in March this year, she decided to finally have surgery on her elbow at a renowned hospital in Alabama. Recalling all the concerns and doubts that mongers with surgeries in every athlete’s mind, she said, “We were trying to avoid surgery as much as possible and just talking to a lot of players.“

During the same interview with the Tennis Channel, the youngster went on to add, “Surgery changes you. You never know if it’s going to be successful or not. It’s scary!” However, she revealed that after consulting with her doctors, she felt it was the best decision for her at that moment. She’s now thankful that everything went right. According to McNally, the biggest takeaway from her injury setbacks is that “There’s going to be good days and bad days, but it’s all about showing up every day and giving everything you can for that day.“

Talking about Djokovic’s own good days and bad days, well his good days are plenty, but he once revealed that he cried for several days after undergoing an elbow surgery in 2018. Having surgeries in the latter stages of one’s career is always a bit risky. Djokovic felt extremely guilty after undergoing that surgery instead of opting for natural remedies.

Reflecting on those moments during an earlier interview with The Telegraph, the Serb said, “I just cried for two or three days. I cried after I had the surgery on my elbow. Every time I thought about what I did, I felt like I had failed myself.” He was so disappointed that his mother had to step forward to console him.

“Betrayed Himself” – Novak Djokovic’s shocking confession to his mother

At that time, it was a race against time and Djokovic needed to get back on the court as soon as possible. The Serb was a bit afraid quite similar to McNally about whether he’d recover to the fullest or not. Several thoughts and emotions ran through his mind. It was tough for Djokovic, but seeing him suffer the pain was even tougher for his mother, Dijana.

When Djokovic told his mom that he felt that he had “betrayed himself“, Dijana shared a few words of comfort with her son. Speaking about it during an interview with Sportal Blic, Dijana revealed, “I explained to him that he did what he had to do and that if he wanted to continue playing, it was necessary. He tried alternative methods, everything available to him, but nothing worked.” She further added that her son is “simply against” surgeries and he doesn’t like to take anything into his body.

We have seen several players getting frustrated with surgeries in the past. That frustration is a mix of worry and anger. They worry about whether they will fully recover from their injuries or not. Staying on the sidelines for several months after the surgery is a terrible situation for any player! A prime example of such tiring experiences that come with surgeries in an athlete’s life is Nick Kyrgios. A year ago, the Aussie was quoted as saying, “I’m exhausted, I’m tired. I have had three surgeries now that … I’m only 28 years old.“

We have seen players force an end to their careers after undergoing surgeries. However, some athletes like Djokovic can undergo knee surgery even at 37 and make a comeback winning the Olympic gold medal a few months later! What are your thoughts on this?