Novak Djokovic, the champion of 24 Grand Slams, beamed out his grass-court mastery when he made a very dominant start at Wimbledon 2024 by defeating the Czech talent Vit Kopriva rather comprehensively. He was coming off a troublesome knee injury that had pulled him out of Roland Garros recently, but little discomfort showed in Djokovic, who swept aside Kopriva in straight sets in his opening match.
Kopriva entered this match, so inexperienced on grass courts and standing 123rd in ATP Rankings. He found it hard to be as exact and consistent throughout the match as Djokovic. The Serbian star turned a performance which had only 16 unforced errors, with an outstanding success rate of 90% when first serving, clearly outlining his domination at court.
Speaking after the match, Djokovic said he had forgotten all about his injury and acknowledged that it was because of his team working in the gym nonstop these past few weeks that made him get well quickly. He accepted that he had taken a risk by playing at Wimbledon, which is special to him because he is deeply in love with the tradition and history of the event.
His agility on court and confidence reassured fans and critics that he was fit for the match, hence reducing concerns on his readiness for the tournament. Having already had a season record of 19 wins against 6 losses, Djokovic is ready to take on either Jacob Fearnley or Alejandro Moro Canas in the next round as he fights to win another Wimbledon title.
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