“Very comforting and very positive” – Djokovic’s knee passes Wimbledon test
The Serbian was able to do something he’d not even attempted in practice
Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic
Novak Djokovic has shared that he is happy with how his knee held up in his first-round victory over Vit Kopriva on Tuesday.
Two weeks ago, the tennis world was talking about a Wimbledon without Djokovic.
The 37-year-old was forced to withdraw from Roland-Garros and undergo knee surgery, due to a meniscus tear suffered during his round-of-16 clash against Francisco Cerundolo.
With just three weeks separating the two Grand Slams, it seemed the Serbian’s pursuit of an eighth title in London would have to wait.
But now, Djokovic is through to the second round, and has given his knee a glowing review.
“I didn’t know how I’m going to feel on the court and how my knee is going to hold up,” he shared after the 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Kopriva. “But very happy, very happy with the way I felt, with the way I played, with the way I moved.
“For an opening match, I couldn’t ask for a better start.”
Signs “very positive” regarding Djokovic’s knee
Djokovic shared further about how his knee felt on Tuesday, explaining that he’d initially been hesitant to push himself physically on Centre Court.
“Obviously I started a little bit more cautious, I would say. I didn’t really maybe go for certain shots 100 percent in terms of the far balls in the first set.
“I played just enough to win confidently in straight sets.”
As the match progressed, the seven-time champion began to feel more confident with his knee, even trying something he’d not dared to in practice.
“Those couple points I think when I broke him in the second set, I did one slide. That was the first slide of the grass court season for me,” Djokovic revealed. “I haven’t done it even in a practice week. So that was a great test.”
“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.”
Next up, Djokovic will face British player Jacob Fearnley, with the world No 277 having won his opening match against Alejandro Moro Canas on Tuesday.
