Doubt surrounded the fitness of Novak Djokovic ahead of Friday’s blockbuster Wimbledon semi-final against Jannik Sinner.
The 38-year-old suffered an awkward fall very late on in his quarter-final victory over Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday.
He picked himself up to finish off the four-set victory but admitted afterwards he would likely not know the full effect until Thursday, and the signs did not appear positive when Djokovic first delayed and then cancelled his scheduled practice session at the All England Club.
The Serbian has already been forced to pull out of one grand slam tournament this year with injury, failing to complete his semi-final against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open because of a leg problem.
After beating Cobolli, he cited the battle just to keep himself physically able to compete with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as his biggest challenge.
“Sometimes I get tired of all the chores that I have to do on a daily basis to get my body ready to be able to perform,” he said.
“It’s a lot of hours spent off the court, in the gym or on the table just trying to work with what I have.
“Physically, I hope that I’ll be able to sustain that. That’s more of a concern. I think game-wise, the way I’m feeling the ball when I’m fit and ready, I feel like I can go toe to toe with those guys and even beat them if I’m playing my best.”
Ahead of the quarter-finals, the concern had been over Sinner after he sustained an elbow problem in a fall against Grigor Dimitrov before the unlucky Bulgarian was forced to pull out leading by two sets to love with a muscle injury.
But the Italian played at a high level to defeat Ben Shelton and, although he was still wearing a protective sleeve, he completed a relaxed practice session on
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