- World No 2 beats Kopriva after knee surgery in early June
- Andrey Rublev smashes racket on leg in four-set loss
For all his positivity in the Wimbledon buildup, until Novak Djokovic set foot on the match court, with its related stress and pressure, he was not entirely sure how his knee would hold up on the grass. The 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Vit Kopriva, a 27-year-old playing only his second grand slam match, was as one-sided as it sounds, though, the seven-time champion never really having to get out of second gear.
Wearing a grey brace on his right knee, just three and a half weeks after undergoing knee surgery to fix a torn meniscus, Djokovic’s movement was good. And if he looked a little cautious when moving quickly to his forehand side, taking extra care not to slide, he was more than satisfied with his efforts.