After a successful knee surgery in early June, it does seem that Djokovic is up and running at 100% after he nailed an easy win in his first round against Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva to take his game to the second round of Wimbledon, which will see him play against Jacob Fearnley. Djokovic is yet to win a tournament in the 2024 ATP Tour, and he is definitely chasing bigger glory with Wimbledon now in play.

At the age of 37, Djokovic showed a lot of poise – as if he didn’t even encounter any discomfort after that surgery as he outlasted Kopriva in a one-hour, 58-minute showdown under the Centre Court roof. It was a promising performance from Djokovic, who has improved to a 19-0 record in his first-round matches at SW19.

Djokovic has been one of the fiercest stars to ever grace the grass courts of Wimbledon, and he continued to dominate on the big stage like nothing has changed. The last time Djokovic played at Wimbledon, the Serbian star lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Grand Slam.

Djokovic’s Impressive Start

Novak Djokovic has maintained a perfect record in the first round with his win over Kopriva. It was an easy game for him as he took control of the match right from the start, breaking his opponent’s serve at least twice in each set to tally the big win. The Serbian star wrapped up the match after winning 90% of the points behind his first serve, going 35/39 in that stretch.

“It was very good. I was very pleased with the way I moved on the court today,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview. “Obviously coming into Wimbledon this year, it was a little bit of a different circumstance for me because of the knee. I didn’t know how everything was going to unfold on the court really. Practice sessions are quite different to official match play, so I’m just extremely glad about the way I played and the way I felt today.”

Djokovic is slated to take on Jacob Fearnley in the second round, who is a wild card winner. The Serbian star has also improved to a 19-6 record for the year, and his campaign for his eighth total Wimbledon title remains very much alive, which would tie Roger Federer’s record should he win big.

Focusing on the Game

As said before, Djokovic had a knee surgery prior to the tournament back in June. The Serbian star still moved well as if it wasn’t there. He did wear a sleeve on his right knee to protect it just in case that he would make some unwanted dives to save the ball. He is indeed playing with a carefree style and a controlled one, but one can say that his focus on the game remains unparalleled even with the surgery still fresh.

“I tried to really focus on the game and not really think too much about the knee,” said Djokovic. “Everything I could possibly do, I have done, along with my team, in the past three and a half weeks in order to give myself a chance to be able to play. I think if it was for any other tournament, I probably wouldn’t risk it or rush it as much, but I just love Wimbledon.”

Wimbledon is a chance for Djokovic to make another daring leap in the ATP Rankings. As of the time of writing, the Serbian star has already seen some points deduction as he hasn’t won any tournaments this Tour yet. He currently sits at the 2nd spot with 8,360 points behind Jannik Sinner (9,890), but still ahead of Carlos Alcaraz (8,130).