(AP) — Novak Djokovic vowed to get back to work after being outplayed by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final Sunday less than 1 1/2 months after knee surgery, with the intention of contending for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and a record 25th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open.
“In the face of adversity, normally I rise and I learn and get stronger,” Djokovic said after his 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) loss to Alcaraz. “That’s what I’m going to do.”
Djokovic also was beaten by Alcaraz in last year’s Wimbledon final. The from Serbia is 23-7 without a title this season; Sunday was his first appearance in a final in 2024.
In Grand Slam play, he was eliminated by current No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals in January, then reached the quarterfinals at the French Open but needed to pull out before that round after tearing the meniscus in his right knee. He had an operation on June 5 and wasn’t sure he would be able to enter Wimbledon at all until a few days before the draw.
“My preparation for Wimbledon wasn’t as I would have it normally. … There was hindrance obviously because of the injury,” Djokovic said. “That probably had an effect, particularly in the opening rounds. But as the tournament progressed, I felt better and better. I reached the finals. Some matches I played some really good tennis. Some matches I kind of battled my way through. But today, I saw that I was just half a step behind him, in every sense.”
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