In an attempt to tie Roger Federer’s men’s record of eight singles championships at SW19, Djokovic defeated Vit Kopriva 6-1 6-2 6-2 on Center Court’s roof.
The 37-year-old Serb had surgery on June 5 to repair a torn medial meniscus after aggravating the issue during the French Open.
Jacob Fearnley, a British wildcard, will be his next opponent.
With a knee brace on his right leg, Djokovic took on the 27-year-old Czech qualifier and showed no signs of discomfort, breaking through for the sixth time in a close fourth game before taking control of the next two games.
Early in the second set, he broke once more, extending his right leg to stay in a rally before, in typical fashion, turning defense into attack and pressuring Kopriva to go long.
With three more breakaways of serve, Djokovic quickly advanced to the next round of play, capping the match with three straight aces.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion continued, “I tried to really focus on the game and not think about the knee too much.” in his on-court interview.
Together with my team, I have spent the previous three weeks doing everything I possibly could to be able to play for you here today. I believe I probably wouldn’t have if it were for any other competition.
