Novak Djokovic said he was very happy with the way he felt physically after decimating Vit Kopriva at Wimbledon in his first match since knee surgery.
The 7-time Wimbledon Champion explained he was cautious on certain shots early in opener but recuperated his strengths later to make first full stretch slide of the 2024 grass court swing. Djokovic drubbed ATP #123 in straight sets with a 6-1, 6-2, and 6-2 on board in his opening test. The legendary Serbian looked in cruise control in his first win of the grass court season just 27 days after undergoing a surgery on his right knee which sustained a torn meniscus.
Djokovic wore a brace on his knee and moved impressively well. The 37-year-old is bidding to capture a record-equaling 8th Wimbledon title this year to extend his Grand Slam tally to 25.
After defeating Kopriva emphatically, Djokovic in his post conference match shared his thoughts on his performance: “The practice week, as I was mentioning before, went great. But obviously, match play, official match on Center Court is something completely different.
“So, I didn’t know how I’m going to feel on the court and how knee is going to hold up. But very happy, very happy with the way I felt, with the way I played, the way I moved. For an opening match, I couldn’t ask for a better start.
“Not really comparable [to the Cerundolo match at the French Open] because the surface is different. Obviously, the sensation on the court was different, a different opponent obviously. Cerundolo on clay — very tough, a tough challenge, even if you’re healthy.
“So, different circumstances really. I didn’t have any kind of pain that I had in that match, today. So that’s good.
“Obviously started a little bit more cautious, I would say. Didn’t really maybe go for certain shots 100%, in terms of the far balls, in the first set. I played I think just enough to win comfortably in straight sets.
“I felt like as the match progressed, I moved better. There was a couple of points, I think where I broke his serve in the second set, I did one slide. That was the first slide of the grass-court season for me, I hadn’t done it even in the practice week.
“So that was a great test. And after that, I felt happy that I did it, because in a way, you also feel mentally hesitant to do those extreme movements. But knowing that I can do it is obviously very comforting and very positive.”
The world No 2 will be up against British wildcard Jacob Fearnley next. The Scot is ranked 277th, in the second round. Djokovic was asked if he had ever witnessed the 22-year-old’s game.
“No, I haven’t seen him hit. I don’t know really anything about him, so I’ll have to do my homework,” he admitted,” replied the 37-year-old.
“I know he was granted a wildcard to play in the tournament, so yeah, I’ll definitely analyze his match of today and see who I am up against. Obviously being British, he’s going to have the crowd and you never like to play British [players] in Wimbledon.
“For me, it’s just about really maintaining this good sensation, good feelings on the court. Getting my body and my knee in the shape to sustain the high level of potential five sets. That’s what matters the most.”