Novak Djokovic cancelled Thursday afternoon practice at Wimbledon. The All Ingland Club confirmed a day after a horrifying fall in the final match of his victory at No. 22 Flavio Koboli (6-7, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4) on the day. Djokovic is set to face No. 1 Janic Thinner in Friday’s semi-finals, and was originally scheduled to be prepared from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thursday.
The 38-year-old can reschedule practice later if he chooses.
Djokovic slid over the grass on Wednesday after an attempt at a forehand led to a return from Koboli, bumping into the netcode and tilting Djokovic to the left. His feet bent awkwardly on the grass of an All-England and tennis club.
Djokovic placed the bottom side for a few seconds on top of the turf as Kobori went to his opponent’s side and picked up a racket while the crowd on the centre court remained silent. Djokovic returned to his strength, wiped his forehead and scored the final two points of the quarterfinals.
“Well, I’m done with the game,” Djokovic said of the horrors of his injuries. “It’s a nasty slip, but that’s what happens when you play with grass. I haven’t fallen this year so far, and that’s a bit surprising because of the way I move on the grass. And with aggressive movements, you’re expected to fall.
“Obviously, I’ll visit this theme in my physics now and play it in a few days.”
Djokovic is targeting his 25th Grand Slam this week And you need two more wins to get there. Djokovic (+650) had the third best odds to win behind French Open Champions Carlos Alcaraz (+110) and Thinner (+190), according to the Fanderer Sportsbook at the start of the tournament.
“I don’t know if that might be my ‘last dance’…I’m not sure about Roland Garros or the other slams I’ll play next,” Djokovic said before his first match last week. “My wish is to play for a few more years. I want to be motivated physically and mentally to continue playing at the highest level. That’s the goal. But you’ll never know at this stage.”
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Djokovic lost to Alkaraz in straight sets at last year’s Wimbledon Finals, and last won the event in 2022.
“These tournaments give me the biggest drive,” Djokovic said. “I like the way I feel right now. In terms of tennis, I play well in practice sessions. When I start a tournament, it’s clearly completely different. I’ll have a very good tournament and try to go as much as I can.”
Djokovic lost to a sinner in the French Open semi-finals earlier this summer and has not earned a major since 2023. He now has the opportunity to return Grass’ favor.
“(It) was a straight defeat, but I feel like I felt like I ran for his money,” Djokovic said at Roland Garos after falling to the 23-year-old Italian. “I tried to get him to work until the last shot. I did what I could. This is a sport. You have to wave the better players and move on.”
