Novak Djokovic made the ominous decision to call off his afternoon practice session at Wimbledon on Thursday following a ‘nasty’ fall.
The Serbian is set to face Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals on Friday after he slid and fell in his Wednesday’s quarter-final win over Flavio Cobolli.
Djokovic hit the deck not long before wrapping up his victory against Cobolli, leading to concerns he may’ve picked up an injury problem.
Those fears have now increased after he cancelled a practice session at Wimbledon’s Aorangi Park, which had been scheduled for 1-3pm.
Djokovic opens up about ‘very awkward’ fall
‘In terms of the fall, it was a nasty fall,’ Djokovic said after his triumph in the last eight.
‘It was very awkward. That happens on the grass. I’ve had quite a few of those throughout my grass-court career.
‘Obviously, [my] body is not the same as it was before, so I guess the real impact or effect of what happened I will feel [on Thursday]. So let’s see.
‘I’m hoping the next 24, 48 hours that the severity of what was happening on the court and what happened is not too bad, that I’ll be able to play at my best and free of pain in two days.’
While Djokovic’s cancelled session is a concern, it’s unlikely that he’s going to withdraw from the tournament.
It should be noted that Sinner was also forced to cancel a practice session after hurting his elbow in his walkover win over Grigor Dimitrov.
But the world No.1 recovered in time for his quarter-final match against Ben Shelton, which he won in straight sets.
Djokovic: Sinner is the best player in the world
Djokovic is set for a massive test against Sinner, with the Italian having beaten the 38-year-old the last four times they’ve met on the ATP Tour.
The 24-time major champion, who lost to Sinner in the French Open semi-finals earlier this year, feels the 23-year-old is the best tennis player on the planet right now.
‘I lost straight sets to Jannik in the semis of Roland-Garros,’ Djokovic said. ‘I think I played a solid match.
‘I could have played better, but he was just better player when the moments were important.
‘So I get another opportunity. For me, this is what counts actually the most… Being in the last stages of Grand Slams and playing against the best player in the world right now.
‘Him next to [Carlos] Alcaraz are the leaders of the tennis today, men’s tennis.’
