Greg Rusedski says Novak Djokovic is the greatest athlete he has ever watched and should never be written off.
Djokovic, who recently lost his No.1 status Jannik Sinner, faces a race against time to be fit for Wimbledon which begins a week Monday. The Serbian tore the medial meniscus in his right knee at the French Open and underwent surgery. He will soon travel to London but is still unsure if he will be ready in time to play at the Grand Slam.
Djokovic’s injury setback occurs during what has been a frustrating season for him so far. He is yet to win a title on the Tour but has reached three semi-finals of events in Geneva and Monte Carlo, as well as the Australian Open. The last time he won a trophy was at the ATP Finals in November.
However, former US Open finalist Rusedski is confident that Djokovic will return to top form and backs him to continue playing for a few more years. The 24-time major champion is currently the oldest player on the PIF ATP top 30 at the age of 37 and is the second-oldest in the top 100 after 39-year-old Stan Wawrinka.
“I’ve had some conversations with his (Djokovic’s) agent and he wants to play a lot longer, he wants to be the Tom Brady of tennis,” Rusedski recently said on the Tennis Channel’s Inside-In podcast.
“And a meniscus injury is not serious, it’s just bad luck. And he was starting to play well at the French, I would not discount Novak. If Novak wants to play for another two, three, four years — whatever it is — don’t write him off.
“This is not a serious injury and he’s the most disciplined athlete I’ve ever seen. I think he’s probably the greatest athlete I’ve ever seen in my life, I mean he is that good as a player.”
As for Djokovic’s mixed start to 2024, Rusedski argues that his record in the sport proves that he can regain his dominance amid challenges from young guns such as Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic holds the records for most major titles won by a male player, the highest amount of prize money earned and the most weeks spent at the top of the PIF ATP Rankings.
“Yes, this year hasn’t been great for him, but let’s not forget, last year he won three of the four Majors and he was in the finals of Wimbledon,” he continued.
“Probably one of the Wimbledon finals where he probably should have won the match, but things just didn’t go his way.
“And everybody’s writing him off because it’s five months he hasn’t played great and he’s got an injury now. I’m not writing him off at all, I think he’s gonna be back with a vengeance.
“I think if the hunger’s there and he still enjoys travelling and he can get the family on the road with him a little bit more, watch out.”
The draw for this year’s Wimbledon Championships will take place at 10am on Friday. If Djokovic plays, he will be bidding to win a record-equalling eighth title at SW19.
