Novak Djokovic eased into the second round of Wimbledon with a comfortable win over Vit Kopriva in his first match since knee surgery.
The Serb is aiming to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight singles titles at SW19 and started strongly by beating the Czech 6-1 6-2 6-2 under the roof at Centre Court.
Dojokovic, 37, wore a knee support after having an operation on a torn medial meniscus on June 5 after pulling out of the French Open quarter-finals last month.
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Next up for the 24-time Grand Slam winner is British wildcard Jacob Fearnley or Spanish qualifier Alejandro Moro Canas.
After coming through his first match with few issues, he said: “I tried to really focus on the game and not think about the knee too much.
“Everything that I could do, I have done over the last three weeks, along with my team, to be able to play here for you today.
“I think if it was for any other tournament I probably would not have risked it, would not have rushed as much but I just love Wimbledon, love coming back here.”
Novak Djokovic ❤️ #Wimbledon
The Serbian’s quest for title number eight is off to the perfect start.#BBCTennis pic.twitter.com/FKHgwC2TRN
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 2, 2024
Djokovic looked as comfortable as ever on Centre Court, dispatching the Czech qualifier in the first two sets with barely 80 minutes played.
Three breaks in the third set saw him race towards the finish line, confirming the victory with three consecutive aces in the final game.
