Novak Djokovic believes it is a ‘great sign’ Andy Murray is able to hit a ball as Wimbledon looms – with the Serb also paying tribute to his long-term rival.
The pair are both set to grace the green lawns at SW19 this week, despite suffering from injury issues.
Djokovic was a doubt for the tournament, having been forced to pull out of the French Open, but the 24-time Grand Slam winner has now set his sights on more glory.
As for Murray, the Briton is prepared to take a ‘risk’ in order to play at Wimbledon after recently undergoing back surgery.
Novak Djokovic believes it is a ‘great sign’ Andy Murray is able to hit a ball as Wimbledon looms – with the Serb also paying tribute to his long-term rival.
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Djokovic and Murray have met in seven Grand Slam finals over the years.
The Serb has won five of those contests, with the last coming at the French Open back in 2016.
And while Djokovic admits Murray undergoing surgery was ‘worrying’, he believes it’s a ‘great sign’ his rival has been able to hit a ball in practice.
“I heard he underwent a surgery a week ago or less than a week ago,” he told Sky Sports.
“That was worrying, but the fact that he can hit the ball is a great sign, and he definitely deserves a great farewell from his favorite tournament, a tournament he won twice.
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Djokovic and Murray have met in seven Grand Slam finals over the years.
The Serb has won five of those contests, with the last coming at the French Open back in 2016.
And while Djokovic admits Murray undergoing surgery was ‘worrying’, he believes it’s a ‘great sign’ his rival has been able to hit a ball in practice.
“I heard he underwent a surgery a week ago or less than a week ago,” he told Sky Sports.
“That was worrying, but the fact that he can hit the ball is a great sign, and he definitely deserves a great farewell from his favorite tournament, a tournament he won twice.
“We all hope that he is going to be physically fit enough to finish on his own terms and I wish him all the best.”
After undergoing surgery, Murray was told he’d need to rest for six weeks.
Instead, the heroic Briton is prepared to do whatever it takes in order to make a farewell appearance at Wimbledon.
The 37-year-old isn’t paying too much attention to medical professionals, insisting you get ‘multiple opinions’.
But Murray is also realistic and knows he faces a difficult task ahead.
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Andy Murray is willing to take a ‘risk’ to play at Wimbledon this summer
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“I need to be able to move properly, which I can’t yet, so let’s see in 48 hours or so,” he said on Saturday.
“I don’t know, tough to know how it’s going to progress, really.
“Always when you get surgeries done, generally you get multiple opinions.
“I wasn’t told that it was going to be 10 days either, but … There are risks associated with what I’m trying to do and I’m willing to take that to try and play.”
Jack Draper is the highest-ranked male player at Wimbledon this summer.
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have contested seven Grand Slam finals over the years as Wimbledon looms
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And he’s glad to have learned from Murray over the years, saying: “I’ve been lucky to have Andy, Dan [Evans], Cam [Norrie] showing me the way since I was younger.
“Their professionalism, their discipline, the way they treated me when I was a young player coming up, the respect they gave me is sort of saying, all right, you’re on this journey now, this is how you do it.
“There’s a really good work ethic and camaraderie between the male players.
“Also on the female side, too, there’s lots of really good talent coming through.
“We all just want to play well and win matches and do the best we can.”