Novak Djokovic undergoing 'special treatment' for injury as Serb makes hospital visit

Novak Djokovic is reportedly undergoing ‘accelerated treatment’ in Serbia after successful surgery on a meniscus tear in his right knee. The 37-year-old was forced to withdraw from the French Open and is unlikely to feature at Wimbledon, with his Paris Olympics hopes also in doubt.

After aggravating a knee issue during his gruelling five-set victory over Francisco Cerundolo at Roland Garros, Djokovic knows that time is not on his side with the third Major of the year just weeks away and fans set to flock to SW19 for the June 1 curtain-raiser.

A timescale for Djokovic’s recovery is yet to be confirmed, but it is expected that surgery on his knee will rule him out of the summer Grand Slam in England.

Following a more concerning update from his surgeon, Serbian outlet Informer claim that Djokovic has opted for an accelerated version of treatment at the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine in Belgrade, where he was spotted on Wednesday morning.

He walked without any major difficulties, a slight limp, but did not require crutches in an encouraging sight before leaving the hospital 70 minutes later.

Djokovic is said to have decided on treatment within a hyperbaric chamber, an oxygen therapy chamber-based method of recovery that is designed to aid the healing of muscle, bone and ligament injuries.

He remains a major doubt to play at a Wimbledon that could be without Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer for the first time since 1998, after a more worrying outlook from the Paris-based surgeon who operated on the 24-time Major winner.

Antoana Geromete explained: "In the 45 minutes that we spent with Novak, his team and Vincent Guiard, the doctor of the French Tennis Federation, I was very open that everything will depend on the reaction of his knee.

"By gradually increasing the load, we will see if it remains 'dry' and without swelling or pain. It will be progress from day to day, but it is impossible to predict the state in which it will be in a week, two and so on. But to be at 100 per cent in three weeks, it really seems difficult to achieve."

Djokovic is seemingly doing all that he can to return to the court safely in the near future, with an Olympic Gold medal one of the few accolades that eludes the Serb,

Should Wimbledon come too soon for Djokovic, the Hamburg Open which begins in mid-July would allow him some preparation for the Olympic tennis event that kickstarts on July 26. Though that timeline would ensure that Djokovic’s only hope of Grand Slam success in 2024 is possible at the US Open.