LONDON — Novak Djokovic opted to skip his afternoon practice session at Wimbledon on Thursday, just one day after experiencing a “nasty” tumble moments before securing his quarterfinal win.
The 38-year-old Serbian, set to face No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner in Friday’s semifinals, slid and fell while contesting his second match point against No. 22 seed Flavio Cobolli. He quickly regained composure, winning the next two points to move forward in the tournament.
His practice session, originally slated for 1-3 p.m. at Wimbledon’s Aorangi Park, was officially cancelled by the All England Club.
However, Djokovic retains the flexibility to reschedule the practice session at a later time.
Notably, Sinner also cancelled his practice after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow during his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov. Despite this, he triumphed over No. 10 Ben Shelton in straight sets on Wednesday.
Describing his fall, Djokovic remarked, “It was quite a nasty fall. Very awkward.”
“Clearly, my body is not quite the same as it used to be, so I’m anticipating that the real consequences of that incident will hit me tomorrow,” he shared during Wednesday’s press conference. “Let’s hope that in the next 24 to 48 hours, the impact won’t be too severe, and that I can play at my best and pain-free come match day.”
Djokovic has faced various injuries in recent seasons, having withdrawn before the quarterfinals of the 2024 French Open due to a knee issue that necessitated surgery.
Earlier this January, he also had to stop during his semifinal at the Australian Open due to a torn hamstring.
The Serbian is seeking redemption after finishing as runner-up at Wimbledon the past two years, both times against Carlos Alcaraz. Prior to that, he claimed four consecutive titles at the All England Club, beginning with his first Wimbledon victory in 2011.
In total, Djokovic has retired from Wimbledon on two separate occasions: once in 2017 during a quarterfinal clash with Tomas Berdych due to an elbow injury, and again in 2007 during a semifinal match against Rafael Nadal because of a foot issue.
