Novak Djokovic played a match and won it at the 2024 Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic, declaring himself pain-free after the match.
When the Serbian touched down in London last week, there wasn't much certainty around his Wimbledon participation. The expectation was that he could play, but no one really knew how likely it was.
As days passed, more and more indications showed that he could be playing. He was practicing and winning practice sets. Matches are vastly different, of course, but he finally got one at the Hurlingham Club.
It was a challenging match, as he faced Daniil Medvedev and bested him in two sets. He showed a good level and demonstrated that his body was seemingly fine.
After the match, Djokovic talked on the court, admitting that he enjoyed the match and that he was playing pain-free.
"I can tell you that I'm really enjoying myself today. Thank you all for coming out and supporting tennis. I can tell you that pain-free tennis is the best tennis."
The host then asked Djokovic if he was pain-free, as it seems hard to believe so early after surgery. He confirmed that he was and that his match against Medvedev was a test for him to see how he'd feel in a match, and he felt great.
"I was pain-free and I’m really glad. It was a great test obviously against one of the best players in the world. It was a great test obviously against one of the best players in the world."
Djokovic further confirmed that it's been an intense three weeks after surgery as he worked a lot to prepare well for the grass-court major. His match at the Hurlingham Club was certainly confirmation that everything went fine, and fans will get a chance to see him at SW19.
"I’ve played a couple of practice sets but I really wanted to test myself. The test was very successful so I’m obviously really glad. It’s been an intense three week after surgery, spending a lot of hours rehabbing."
"I kind of always wanted to give myself a chance to be in London. I think my surgeon is here. He’s the MVP for sure the last three weeks. I’m trying to take it day by day and see how far it goes."