Djokovic's surgeon Gerometta urges caution: "It still seems very unlikely"

Forfeited at Roland-Garros before playing his quarter-final (against Ruud), Novak Djokovic is in dire straits. With a knee injury, he has decided to undergo surgery in order to aim for a return to competition by the time of the Olympic Games.

Discussions on the subject are rife, with everyone wondering how long it will take the Serb to return to competition. Between those who think a return at Wimbledon is possible and those who don't see Djokovic lining up at the Paris Olympics, it's hard to see things clearly.

In this respect, the words of Antoine Gerometta, the surgeon who operated on Djokovic in Paris, are full of meaning. He explained that everything would depend on his ability to recover: "You can always sell the dream and say it's going to happen very quickly. But during the 45 minutes we spent with Novak and his staff, I was very transparent in saying that it would depend on how his knee reacted.

It's by very gradually increasing the load that we'll be able to see if his knee stays dry, without swelling or pain. It's going to evolve day by day, but it's impossible to predict how he'll feel in a week or a fortnight. Whether he'll be 100% fit in three weeks' time seems very unlikely."