Novak Djokovic, world number 2, made a controlled entrance on Tuesday at Wimbledon where he dominated the Czech Vit Kopriva (123rd) 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in less than two hours.
The Serb, who at 37 is seeking an eighth Wimbledon title to equal Roger Federer’s record and a 25th Grand Slam title to improve his own record, will face Briton Jacob Fearnley (277th and invited) or Spaniard Alejandro Moro (188th and from qualifying) in the second round.
Even though he had assured that everything was fine, this first match for Djokovic since his right meniscus operation three weeks ago was important to judge his condition on the spot.
And even if Kopriva was not on paper an opponent of his size, the performance of the Serb was able to reassure him again.
A priori without apprehension despite a flexible knee brace and even if his footwork retained a certain caution on the slippery grass at the start of the tournament, Djokovic proved untouchable on his serve, without any break point to defend in the match.
On Kopriva’s serve, Djoker put the pressure on from the fourth game of the first set: the Czech saved four break points before conceding a first time. The double break was achieved much more easily a few minutes later.
In the second set, it was in the third game that the Serb took the opponent’s serve, having gained confidence in his physical abilities, as evidenced by this slide signed “spider Djokovic” where he found himself almost in the splits, his left hand on the ground, or this extended smash in the style of Gaël Monfils but a little less spectacular.
At 2-2 in the third set, Djokovic reeled off four games in a row to win and send a big smile to his box.
