London, July 3 (Agency) Novak Djokovic (No. 2) made a triumphant return in the first round of Wimbledon, easily defeating Viktor Kopriva (No. 123) with a score of 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 here on Tuesday. The Serbian star, who has won 35 of his last 36 matches at the All England Club, showed no signs of the knee issues that had raised concerns about his physical condition. A month ago, Djokovic underwent knee surgery after an injury forced him to withdraw from the French Open quarterfinals. Remarkably, he recovered in just three weeks and was back in top form for Wimbledon. From the start of the match, Djokovic looked strong, with no apparent knee problems. The fourth game of the first set proved crucial, lasting 20 points before Djokovic broke Kopriva’s serve on his sixth break point.
This game highlighted Djokovic’s dominance, as he went on to win 14 consecutive points and took the set 6-1, conceding just one point on his serve and winning 57% of return points. Djokovic’s 12 winners outshone Kopriva’s four. In the second set, Djokovic continued to dominate. Kopriva managed to save a couple of break points early on, but Djokovic broke his serve in the third and seventh games, claiming the set 6-2 in 44 minutes. Djokovic was nearly flawless with his first serve, winning 92% of those points. The third set saw Kopriva briefly keep pace with Djokovic, taking a 2-1 lead. However, Djokovic quickly regained control, winning five consecutive games to secure the match with a final score of 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.