After winning Novak Jjokovic, dubbed “A Nasty Fall” on Wednesday in the final moments of the Wimbledon quarterfinal against No. 22 seed Flaviokoboli, the 38-year-old Serb star cancelled a practice session on Thursday afternoon.
No. 6 Jjokovic will play Italy’s top-ranked Jannik Sinner in Friday’s semi-final match.
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Djokovic was scheduled to practice at Aorangi Park in Wimbledon from 1 to 3pm, according to the Associated Press.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion with seven Wimbledon titles, can reschedule for later practice times if he and his team choose to do so.
“Novak Jjokovic was supposed to compete in the practice court several times today, but he cancelled his practice,” Patrick McEnroe told ESPN on Thursday.
“So it’s a potentially unsettling sign as he seemed to have hurt himself in his victory with Koboli at the end of yesterday’s victory.”
Djokovic gave a 40-30 lead and a 5-4 advantage in the fourth set of Wednesday’s quarter-finals match. During the subsequent rally with Koboli, it appeared Djokovic was trying to get back to the back of the baseline and come back. Instead, he slipped and collapsed awkwardly, almost splitting before falling forward for a moment.
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Despite the fear and lost points, Djokovic quickly finished the match and after scoring two more points, he advanced to the semi-finals.
“Obviously, (my) body is not the same as today as before, so I’m guessing the real impact and effect of what I felt tomorrow,” Djokovic said via the Associated Press at a press conference Wednesday. “So let’s take a look. I hope that what’s going on in the courtroom and what happened isn’t too bad. I can be in the best of two days and painless.”
A cancelled practice session may not be a good sign for Djokovic, but that is not something to touch at all.
After all, the sinner cancelled his practice session a day after hurting Grigor Dimitrov’s right elbow in his fourth victory. The injury was heavily debated, from Thinner to No. 10 and No. 10 Ben Shelton, to the crimeman’s defeat in straight sets on Wednesday.
However, Djokovic previously dealt with injuries within the tournament, including a knee injury that required him to withdraw before the 2024 French open quarter and ultimately required surgery.
