WIMBLEDON – It was match point for Novak Djokovic at the All England Club. Nothing novel about that for a seven-time Wimbledon champion.

But the sudden, awkward fall that came with it was certainly new at this late stage in the game. Down went the 38-year-old Djokovic on the grass as he tried to change directions well behind the baseline. His right foot got no purchase and he went into an ungainly near-split, his left knee bending at a frightening angle.

He landed hard and stayed there a while: face down, forehead resting on the grass that he has munched on in victory through the many years. He was only a few strides from where 34-year-old Grigor Dimitrov had crumpled in agony two days earlier with a two-set lead on Jannik Sinner. Dimitrov had torn his right pectoral muscle and had to retire in tears from the match.

For a moment, you had to wonder if Djokovic might join him, but he is the most elastic of tennis champions: a player who has emphasized flexibility since his early days under boyhood coach Jelena Gencic.

As I wrote in my book The Master, Djokovic’s wife Jelena was once asked what their life was really like away from the tennis tour.

“That’s easy to answer,” she said. “Life is about stretching. I always find him on the floor, legs all over the place.”

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