Novak Djokovic reveals that he is ‘pain free’ ahead of Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic has continued his return to fitness, after beating Daniil Medvedev in an exhibition match ahead of Wimbledon.
Djokovic has been playing practice sets on the grounds of Wimbledon this week, only three weeks after undergoing surgery on the meniscus tear in his right knee.
That time of year ???? Good to be back. Giving my best to be ready for #wimbledon ???????? pic.twitter.com/caop6cVYjY
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 25, 2024
And things stepped up a gear yesterday, with Djokovic playing World No.5 Daniil Medvedev in an exhibition match on the grass of the Hurlingham Club.
The Serbian beat Medvedev, 6-3 6-4, in this exhibition and appeared pleased with how his body is feeling when speaking to media after the match.
“I can tell you that I enjoyed myself really, really much today,” said Djokovic. “I can tell you that pain free tennis is the best tennis. I was pain free and I’m really glad. It was a great test obviously against one of the best players in the world.
“I’ve played a couple of practice sets but I really wanted to test myself. The test was very successful so I’m obviously really glad. It’s been an intense three weeks after surgery, spending a lot of hours rehabbing.”
The 37-year-old added, “I kind of always wanted to give myself a chance to be in London. I think my surgeon is here. He’s the MVP for sure the last three weeks. I’m trying to take it day by day and see how far it goes.”
Always a pleasure playing with you my friend. And having some laughs. Good luck ???? for Wimbledon. pic.twitter.com/xkyZm7LQVX
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 28, 2024
It was revealed by Taylor Fritz earlier this week that Djokovic had reached out to him about his previous knee surgery, and the 24-time Grand Slam champion confirmed that the American was one of many athletes that he had spoken to.
“I asked him [Fritz], I asked many athletes – [Stan] Wawrinka, Lindsey Vonn, Zlatan Ibrahimovic – and they were all very kind to share some of their experiences and give me some contacts of people who could help me out,” explained Djokovic.
With Djokovic looking set to compete at Wimbledon next week, the seven-time tournament champion will begin his campaign against Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva on Tuesday.
Inside the baseline…
It has been a remarkable recovery from Novak Djokovic in the past three weeks, who looked great against Daniil Medvedev yesterday. Although it was only an exhibition, like Djokovic said it was a great test to see how his fitness is ahead of the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. Without being disrespectful, Djokovic’s draw is looking pretty good for the first few rounds and should allow him to work his way through the tournament.
READ NEXT – Wimbledon 2024 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?
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