"Pain-free" - Novak Djokovic admits to "successful test" after knee surgery as he beats Daniil Medvedev at exhibition ahead of Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic recently played his first grasscourt match of 2024, ahead of Wimbledon. The World No. 2 was delighted by his performance against a world-class opponent in Daniil Medvedev, albeit not at an official tournament.

Djokovic suffered a medial meniscus tear in his right knee during his fourth-round match against Francisco Cerundolo at the French Open. He underwent surgery almost immediately after, thus missing out on the Wimbledon lead-up events.

Novak Djokovic reached SW19 a week in advance in order to gauge his progress amid looming uncertainty over his participation. On Friday, June 28, hours after the draw release, he locked horns with Daniil Medvedev in an exhibition match at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic.

The World No. 2 came out on top, beating the 2023 Wimbledon semifinalist, 6-3, 6-4. During the grueling contest, he also teased Medvedev for making him test his knee.

During the on-court interview that followed, Novak Djokovic said:

"I can tell you that I enjoyed myself today. I can tell you that pain-free tennis is the best tennis."

The Serb reiterated that he was pain-free during the match and was delighted at having successfully passed the “test.”

"I was! I was pain free," he said. "And it was a great test obviously against one of the best players in the world."

Djokovic also mentioned the practice sets he played at Wimbledon against the likes of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Frances Tiafoe, and Federico Coria.

"I played a couple of practice sets in the last few days and I really wanted to come out here to test my knee; to see how I feel; move around; try to stay low – the ball bounces very low on grass, especially here," he noted.

"The test was very successful so I’m obviously really glad."

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Novak Djokovic ahead of Wimbledon 2024: "I am trying to take it day by day"

Novak Djokovic pictured at the 2024 Championships (Image Source: Getty)

In the aforementioned interview, Novak Djokovic said that his rehab journey after the French Open was “intense.”

Several experts had ruled the Serb out of Wimbledon given his desire to compete at the Paris Olympics, which begin at Stade Roland-Garros just two weeks after the grasscourt Slam.

"I think the team will be happy. It’s been an intense three weeks after surgery, spending a lot of hours rehabbing and trying to get myself ready for Wimbledon. I kind of always wanted to give myself a chance to be in London," he said.

He also praised his knee specialist and surgeon, who accompanied him to the exhibition event.

"My surgeon is here. He’s the MVP, for sure, the last three weeks. It’s all his fault but…" he joked.

"They both did a great job. Without them, the whole thing here today wouldn’t be possible," he continued. "I am trying to take it day by day, see how far it goes."

The Serb, who is defending his runner-up finish from 2023, is the second seed at the 2024 event. He is chasing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title and eighth at Wimbledon. He begins his campaign against Vit Kopriva on Tuesday, July 2.