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Novak Djokovic has announced that he is “pain free” following an exhibition match victory against Daniil Medvedev, signaling his readiness for Wimbledon next week. The Serb, who tore the medial meniscus in his right knee at the French Open and underwent surgery three weeks ago, had his participation at the All England Club in doubt. However, he appeared fit and confident, wearing knee strapping, as he defeated world number five Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 on Friday.
“I can tell you I enjoyed myself really, really much,” said the 37-year-old Djokovic. “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 importance of this match in his recovery process, stating, “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. I kind of always wanted to give myself a chance to be in London.”
Acknowledging the efforts of his medical team, Djokovic added, “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.”
Medvedev, commenting on Djokovic’s condition, noted, “He seems to be fine. 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.”
Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, is set to face Czech debutant Vit Kopriva in the first round of this year’s tournament, marking his 19th appearance at the grass-court Grand Slam. Djokovic has reached the Wimbledon final for the past five years, losing the 2023 final to Carlos Alcaraz in a memorable five-set match on Centre Court.
