Djokovic battling knee trouble as Olympic blockbuster looms

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are just one win away from setting up a highly anticipated meeting in the final of the men’s singles tennis event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In the quarter-finals, Alcaraz got an expected straight-sets win over Tommy Paul and will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals.

Djokovic, meanwhile, saw off Stefanos Tsitsipas in his quarter-final, saving set points to win 6-3, 7-6(3) and set up a semi-final clash with Lorenzo Musetti.

Djokovic, Alcaraz favourites despite tough semi-final assignments

Unsurprisingly, Djokovic and Alcaraz are heavy favourites in their respective semi-finals.

Alcaraz is at $1.15 to win, while tennis bookmakers have set the price at $5 for Auger-Aliassime to execute a surprise victory.

Djokovic will enjoy a $1.4 favourite tag for his clash with Musetti, who is at $2.90 to go through.

However, Auger-Aliassime and Musetti have shown they can punch above their weight.

Auger-Aliassime dispatched Norwegian star Casper Ruud in the last eight, while Musetti sent home third seed Alexander Zverev.

The duo will be up against a new level of opposition on Friday, though, and Olympic betting sites are still paying short odds for an Alcaraz vs Djokovic final.

Djokovic faces knee injury concern

The biggest question mark over the upcoming men’s semi-finals is not the opposition Alcaraz and Djokovic face, but the latter’s knee issues.

Djokovic visibly struggled with his knee at the start of the second set against Tsitsipas, taking a medical timeout and falling behind 4-0.

While he was able to turn the ship around and win the set, the Serbian is concerned he is facing a repeat of what happened to him at the French Open.

“I had a scare early in the second set with the knee, kind of a deja vu from what happened a few months ago at Roland-Garros,” Djokovic said.

“I injured myself in a match, managed to finish the match victorious, but only to find out the next day that I tore my meniscus.

“I’m hoping that’s not the case this time. I don’t know. I’m honestly concerned, but I’m going to let the medical team evaluate the knee, do examination.”

An Olympic gold medal is one of the few achievements Djokovic has not ticked off his bucket list, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion clear about how much it means to him.

“I think even if the medical staff says that it’s not okay, I’ll probably get on the court and give it a try,” he declared on Thursday.

“These are very rare chances to fight for a medal for my country.

“So I’m going to do everything possible in the next — less than 24 hours to put myself in a position to fight for Serbia.”

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