Fritz made Wimbledon in 2021 after RG with the same issues Novak had and we heard crickets. It did show us one thing though, just how much @Taylor_Fritz97 unconditionally loves tennis (well done today btw) @DjokerNole makes it and everyone losing their mind. The double…
Novak Djokovic v Taylor Fritz meniscus tear clamour called out as double standards by Mark Petchey
ATPSunday, 30 June 2024 at 18:21
Novak Djokovic will make it to Wimbledon and start his campaign on Tuesday despite only having surgery recently for a meniscus tear. He will face Vit Kopriva likely on Centre Court but it is an injury that has been seen and recovered from in similar circumstances in the past.
In particular by Taylor Fritz who in 2021 was carted off the court perhaps more notably in a wheelchair at Roland Garros for a meniscus tear unlike Djokovic who soldiered on and beat Francisco Cerundolo. But Djokovic himself asked Fritz for tips.
“I told him what it was like for me,” said Fritz at Queen's. “A lot of it comes down to the inflammation and how you react. It’s possible for Novak to play. It’s the exact same thing that I had and I played. Obviously, I wasn’t contending to win a title, I was just showing up to hopefully win a couple of rounds – but it is possible.”
“When I did it I couldn’t even walk. People are different. It’s the same actual injury. It really comes down to the level of inflammation. You pretty much have your full strength immediately. It’s more just the inflammation from the surgery. As long as you can get that down and start playing without it puffing up again, you’re actually going to be fine to play.
“I was doing three-four hours of PT, a lot of icing, trying to stick to a diet which was not going to cause extra inflammation because I was real determined to play Wimbledon. But for me it was a little bit different. If Novak goes to Wimbledon he wants to be there to win. Playing a whole tournament is different than me at the time going there.
“I was going to be a low seed anyway (31). Winning a couple of rounds was a solid result for me.”
Fritz miraculously popped up a few weeks later when it looked very unlikely that he would play. But Djokovic has been the subject of a lot of media attention which was a source of annoyance for coach and commentator Mark Petchey.
He took to social media platform X/Twitter to call out the double standards saying that crickets were heard when Fritz did it. While in the case of Djokovic, everyone is 'losing their mind'.
"Fritz made Wimbledon in 2021 after RG with the same issues Novak had and we heard crickets.
It did show us one thing though, just how much @Taylor_Fritz97 unconditionally loves tennis (well done today btw)
@DjokerNole makes it and everyone losing their mind.
The double standards are wild at times in this sport," wrote Petchey.
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