World number two Novak Djokovic defeated Czech Vit Kopriva (6-1, 6-2, 6-2) in the first round of Wimbledon. Djokovic’s opponent was not the strongest; Kopriva is now ranked 123rd in the ATP rankings. But the ease with which Novak achieved a positive result on the court is still surprising.
On June 5, the Serbian underwent knee surgery after a torn meniscus in the fourth round of Roland Garros. After 27 days, Djokovic proved to be quite competitive on grass. Once again, there is no point in exaggerating the importance of the victory over Kopriva, but few expected Novak to drop just five games to any opponent in his first match back from a serious injury.
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Even the reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz struggled a bit in the first round against the world number 269, Estonian Mark Layal (7:6, 7:5, 6:2), and ATP ranking leader Jannik Sinner. He generally gave the set to the German Jannik, who was missing stars from the sky Hanfman (6:3, 6:4, 3:6, 6:3). Although Alcaraz and Sinner are healthy and played preparatory tournaments on grass, unlike Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon
Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images
Novak, with reserve, achieved the most crushing victory in the opening round of Wimbledon, which consisted of 64 matches. American Taylor Fritz came close to him, leaving no chance for Australian Christopher O’Connell (6-1, 6-2, 6-4). Fritz is one of the people Novak communicated with during the recovery process. Taylor suffered a similar injury three years ago, but quickly recovered in time for Wimbledon.
“I had a lot of conversations about recovery from surgery with Taylor Fritz, who was in the same situation three years ago. He said he played the first round of Wimbledon 21 days after the injury. Stan Wawrinka and Lindsey Vonn also shared their experiences with me. It gave me faith and optimism,” Djokovic said before the start of Wimbledon.
“Novak got in touch with me and asked me some questions. I told him how everything was with me. A lot depends on the inflammation and the reaction to it. If you can remove it and start playing without provoking it again, then everything will be fine. I had the same thing as him and I played. Djokovic is capable of going out on the court. If Novak goes to Wimbledon, he wants to win there,” Fritz said about the details of his communication with Djokovic.
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Novak was keen to play in London. Firstly, he is looking to repeat Roger Federer’s record for the number of Wimbledon titles: the Swiss now has a slim lead (8-7). Secondly, a grass-court Grand Slam means a lot to Djokovic, as the Serb admitted after his victory over Kopriva.
“I tried to think about the match and not worry too much about the knee. For the last three and a half weeks, my team and I have done everything to give me the opportunity to play here in front of you. If it was any other tournament I wouldn’t take any risks and I wouldn’t be in such a hurry. I love Wimbledon. I love coming back here,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview.
Novak Djokovic and Vit Kopriva
Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Kopriva was the first to feel how well Novak was doing after his injury.
“I was very surprised by the accuracy with which he served. In the third set I managed to read his serve, but it didn’t help and it was a big blow for me. It was extremely difficult to play against Novak. Every ball he sent came back to me even faster. Now I felt it on my own skin. It was unreal. I tried to at least enjoy the match,” said the Czech after the match.
In the second round, Djokovic will face world number 277 Jacob Fearnley. The British player was given a wildcard to Wimbledon by the organisers. In the first round, he defeated Spanish qualifier Alejandro Moro Cañas (7-5, 6-4, 7-6). This will surely be the end of Fearnley’s story. There is a high probability that Djokovic will beat his opponent again. This is a very important point, as the 37-year-old Serb will not make any great efforts.
In the third round, Novak will face a more serious rival: Argentine Thomas-Martin Etcheverry or Australian Alexei Popyrin, who are both ranked in the top 50. But neither of them is some kind of insurmountable barrier for Djokovic on grass. It is very important that Novak retains the second place in the ATP rankings thanks to Alcaraz’s unexpected exit in the second round of the 500m in London. It is a shame for him to complain about his luck. Last season’s semi-finalists Alcaraz, Sinner and Daniil Medvedev are in the other half of the draw. Some of them may not make it all the way to the final. There are practically no grass-court specialists in Novak’s way. The only exception is Pole Hubert Hurkacz, with whom the Serb risks meeting in the quarter-finals. He will certainly have to work harder than usual, but then again, Djokovic will almost certainly beat the Pole at the Slam if he is healthy.
Novak Djokovic played brilliantly in the first match of the season on grass
Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
According to the ratings, Djokovic’s likely opponent in the final could be world No. 4 Alexander Zverev. However, it is far from certain that Zverev will make it there. The German performs rather poorly on grass. His best result at Wimbledon is two fourth-round finals (2017, 2021). It may well be that Djokovic doesn’t even have to try too hard on his way to a theoretical final battle with Alcaraz or Sinner, who could wear each other down in a potential semi-final.
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Novak has an excellent chance to win his 25th career Slam and equal Federer in Wimbledon titles. Just a few weeks ago, such a turn of events was hard to believe. Even some of the most devoted fans reasonably doubted that the Serb could fully recover for Wimbledon. However, Djokovic once again proved that nothing is impossible for him. Although some never doubted Novak. Among them is Australian Alex de Minaur, number 9 in the ATP rankings.
“I am not surprised, he is superhuman. He has already achieved the incredible. I am confident that he will come back, give his best and play as if the injury never happened. This is what we expect from Novak and we should not be surprised by what he does,” said De Minaur.
