Carlos Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has assessed Novak Djokovic’s run to the semifinals of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The Serb cemented his place in the last four for the 13th time at SW19 after beating Vit Kopriva, Jacob Fearnley, Alexei Popyrin and Holger Rune, and then receiving a walkover into the semis after his quarterfinal opponent Alex de Minaur withdrew due to a hip injury.
Djokovic ran a race against time to be fit enough to appear at Wimbledon this year. The Serb sustained a meniscus tear in his right knee during his fourth-round clash against Francisco Cerundolo at the 2024 French Open. Not long after scans revealed the tear, he announced his withdrawal from the claycourt Major, following which he underwent knee surgery.
While the surgery left Djokovic on crutches, he was soon back in training. The 24-time Major winner also reached out to Taylor Fritz in a bid to be back in action at Wimbledon. Fritz had suffered the same injury in 2021 at the French Open but recovered in time for the prestigious grasscourt Major that year.
Recently, Juan Carlos Ferrero, the coaching mastermind behind Carlos Alcaraz’s resounding success, spoke up about Djokovic’s performances at Wimbledon 2024. According to the Spaniard, the Serb’s rapid recovery following his knee surgery has been “record-breaking”. Ferrero also said that the World No. 2 is moving well, despite Djokovic’s own admission that he isn’t performing at his best.
“He’s (Djokovic’s) made a record-breaking recovery. I think he’s doing pretty well, but he says he’s far from being at his best. He’s in the semi-finals at the moment. I’ve seen him move pretty well,” Ferrero said (via Marca – translated from Spanish).
Alcaraz’s coach said that Djokovic is thriving at SW19, especially if his matches are played indoors, as the balls don’t move much in the air.
“Here (at Wimbledon) he hits the ball fantastically, especially if it’s indoors because it doesn’t move at all and he hits everything in the center,” Ferrero added.
Novak Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon 2024 final if both men win their respective semifinals
Djokovic is set to face Lorenzo Musetti in one of the semifinals at SW19 this year. Meanwhile, the other semifinal is slated to be played between defending champion Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. As things stand, there is a chance that the Serb will get the opportunity to avenge his defeat to the Spaniard in the 2023 Wimbledon final.
On that day, Djokovic made the perfect start, winning the first set 6-1. However, Alcaraz roared back emphatically and established a two-sets-to-one advantage over the Serb by winning the second and third sets 7-6(6), 6-1 respectively. Djokovic though, was not done yet, as he clinched the fourth set 6-3 to take the match into its fifth and deciding set.
Ultimately however, it was the Spaniard who came out on top after winning the fifth set 6-4, ending Djokovic’s four-year chokehold on the Wimbledon men’s singles title. The victory marked Alcaraz’s second Major title triumph, with his first Grand Slam title coming at the 2022 US Open.
As far as their respective forms so far this season are concerned, Alcaraz would be confident if he and Djokovic go on to lock horns in the final. The Serb is yet to win a title this year, while Alcaraz has won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and more recently, the French Open.