Novak Djokovic answers Wimbledon injury question but bigger issues remain

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Whenever Novak Djokovic plays at Wimbledon, everyone usually watches him closely. But this time, people were paying special attention to his right knee.

Just less than a month ago, the tennis player with 24 grand slam titles had surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee. This injury occurred during a match in the French Open. It seemed unlikely that he would recover in time to compete at the All England Club and try to win back the trophy he lost to Carlos Alcaraz a year ago.

He would now focus on the Olympic Games and achieving the one big goal he has been unable to accomplish throughout his successful career - winning a gold medal for his country. By concentrating on Paris 2024, he would avoid a dangerous race to recover from injury and constantly adapting to different playing surfaces at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, which would be challenging for any 37-year-old, especially with a recent knee surgery.

However, Djokovic demonstrated his typical determination and relentless effort, as he has consistently done in his exceptional career. Despite the challenges, he persevered through intense rehabilitation for his knee injury. Surprisingly, less than a month later, he announced his readiness to compete at SW19 with the goal of equaling Roger Federer's record of eight men's singles titles.

"If it were any other competition, I wouldn't have taken the chance or hurried as quickly," he confessed. "I simply adore Wimbledon."

There was much anticipation when he walked onto the court for his first-round match against Czech Republic's Vit Kopriva, and excitement increased when Djokovic appeared wearing a grey compression sleeve on his right knee.

The initial match didn't provide any insight on his fitness level, but it quickly showed that he wasn't rusty on his serves. He hit two aces and two serves that were impossible for his opponent to return, so he didn't have to exert much energy.

During a quick 6-1 6-2 6-2 victory that lasted less than two hours, Djokovic showed no signs of pain or discomfort as he moved easily around the court. Despite the bandage on his knee, it was easy to forget that he had recently had surgery for a meniscus issue.

"I was happy with my performance during the game," Djokovic said with a smile during his interview after the match. "I was unsure of what to expect before the game began. Practicing is different from actually playing in a match, so I am very satisfied with how I played and felt today. I made sure to concentrate on my game and not let thoughts about my knee distract me."

His ability to make shots did not seem to be impacted, as he hit some impressive forehand winners and skillful volleys at the net to win points. After not playing for a month, this match was the perfect opportunity to get back into the swing of things.

Honestly, Kopriva was clearly outclassed. Ranked as the world No 123, he was competing in a grand slam main draw for only the second time at 27 years old. While Mark Lajal impressively elevated his performance for his Centre Court debut against a finalist from last year's Wimbledon, the Czech player showed the typical level of play expected based on his career history.

And that was never going to be sufficient to compete against possibly the best male tennis player in history, no matter what his injury situation was.

Kopriva fought hard during his own serving games and wowed the cheering crowd with occasional brilliant plays. However, he was unable to create any opportunities to break Djokovic's serve. Once he was broken in each set, Kopriva quickly lost control of the match.

With all the attention on Djokovic's knee and how we are used to seeing him win all the time, it's easy to overlook the fact that he was having a terrible season before getting injured. For the past ten years, Djokovic has been nearly unbeatable at the Australian Open. However, Jannik Sinner impressively defeated him in January and then took over his No 1 spot in the following months.

Djokovic has not reached the final of any tournament so far this season, let alone emerged as the winner, which raises concerns about his current form. This particular match did not provide any clear answers to those doubts, and there are even more challenging opponents awaiting him in the upcoming rounds. Can he compete against Holger Rune in the fourth round or Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals? Not to mention facing off against Sinner or Alcaraz in potential matches.

We will have to wait and see what happens as time goes on. Right now, Djokovic has shown that his knee is not an issue, but we will have to wait to see how everything else unfolds in the next two weeks.