Daniil Medvedev hopes to have a better Wimbledon first-round match because ‘there will be no Novak’

The fifth seed Russian will play America's unseeded Aleksandar Kovacevic on Monday.

Daniil Medvedev hopes to have a better Wimbledon first-round match because ‘there will be no Novak’

Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

Novak Djokovic will kick-start his Wimbledon campaign on July 1 against Vit Kopriva. But before that, he played in an exhibition match on grass in Hurlingham at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic. 

Daniil Medvedev was his opponent who was beaten with scores of 6-3, 6-4. After the defeat, Medvedev did not lose his sense of humor as he expressed his hope for a good match because he will not be facing Djokovic in the first round. 

YouTube video
It all started with the arrival of a Rolls-Royce. It was good to play a match. Not good to lose. At least it's not Wimbledon, so I still have a chance on Monday. I hope I can play better. There will be no Novak in the first round so…
Daniil Medvedev said as reported by Tennis Actu on its YouTube channel 

Medvedev has faced Djokovic 15 times, winning just five matches. They last met in the 2023 US Open final where the Serb lifted his historic 24th Grand Slam title by beating Medvedev in straight sets. The fifth seed Russian will play America’s unseeded Aleksandar Kovacevic on Monday at Wimbledon. 

FS Video

Novak Djokovic experienced no pain during his exhibition match against Daniil Medvedev

Novak Djokovic hurt his knee during the Roland Garros fourth round and pulled himself out of the quarterfinals. After the surgery, he landed in London and started training. For the former World No.1, the exhibition match was a test to check whether he was feeling any pain in his knee or not, and after the match, he called the test a success.

Novak Djokovic Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)
I can tell you that I had a lot of fun today. I can also tell you that painless tennis is the best tennis. It was a good test against one of the best players in the world, after doing a few practice sets in the last few days. I wanted to come here to test my knee, to see how I feel. The test was a success, so I’m very happy. 
Novak Djokovic said 

Earlier this month, Djokovic talked about the possibility of not playing at SW19, but his name was there in the Wimbledon draws list released on Friday this week. The 37-year-old will be aiming to lift his first title of the season as he has failed to do so in the six tournaments he has played so far, including in an ATP 250 event in Geneva. 

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