Djokovic to play at Wimbledon only if he can ‘fight for the title’

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic says he will only play at Wimbledon if he is fit enough to "fight for the title" but his recovery from knee surgery is going well.

The seven-time champion at the All England Club was forced to withdrew ahead of his French Open quarter-final against Casper Ruud earlier this month after tearing the medial meniscus in his right knee.

His chances of competing at Wimbledon, which starts on July 1, initially looked bleak but he has made rapid progress and had a two-hour training session at Wimbledon's Aorangi Park on Monday.

The 37-year-old Serbian World No. 2 says he will make a decision before Friday's draw. "I didn't come here to play a few rounds," he told the BBC. "If I know I can play close to my maximum or at maximum, then I'll play. If not, then I'll give somebody else a chance to play. I really will only play if I know I am in a state which is good enough to go far in the tournament and fight for the title, so that's the condition.

"Rehab is going in the right direction every single day, a few percent better and better. That's what's giving me hope and encouragement to keep going. I'm taking things gradually. I'm not pushing myself yet 100 percent but I'm hoping that's going to come in the next few days," he said.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever