Novak Djokovic has declared himself “pain free” following an exhibition match against Daniil Medvedev, bolstering hopes for his participation in Wimbledon next week. The Serbian star had torn the medial meniscus in his right knee at the French Open and underwent surgery three weeks ago, casting doubt on his appearance at the All England Club.
Despite wearing strapping on his knee, Djokovic triumphed over world number five Medvedev with a 6-3, 6-4 victory on Friday, signaling his readiness for Wimbledon, which begins on July 1.
“I can tell you I enjoyed myself really, really much,” said the 37-year-old. “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.”
Djokovic emphasized the significance of the exhibition match in his recovery. “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.”
Expressing gratitude towards his medical team, Djokovic 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.”
A seven-time Wimbledon champion, Djokovic has been drawn against Czech debutant Vit Kopriva in the first round of this year’s tournament. This would mark his 19th appearance at the grass-court Grand Slam, where he has reached the final for the past five years, losing the 2023 final to Carlos Alcaraz in a memorable five-set match.
“He seems to be fine,” Medvedev remarked. “You never know what he feels inside of him. It’s a five-set match on grass [at Wimbledon], which is never easy for the knee, so I don’t know how it’s going to go during the matches. But he seemed to be moving well, even if I got him off guard a little bit.”
