Wimbledon 2024 Men’s Singles First Round: Novak Djokovic vs. Vit Kopriva preview, prediction, and live stream
Novak Djokovic starts his Wimbledon campaign on Monday against unseeded Vit Kopriva.
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Novak Djokovic and Vit Kopriva (Via Imago/X)
Second seed Novak Djokovic opens his quest for an eighth Wimbledon title on Monday as he faces unseeded Czech Vit Kopriva in the first round. Kopriva comes into this match after gaining entry through the qualifiers, where he notably beat Richard Gasquet in four sets in the final qualifying match.
On the other hand, Djokovic hasn’t played a single match since his fourth-round win at Roland Garros, where he injured his meniscus and withdrew from the quarter-final.
Djokovic will be aiming not just for an elusive 25th Grand Slam title but will also use this tournament to prepare for the Paris Olympics. The games start in the last week of July, where the Serbian will hope to win his first gold medal for his country.
Novak Djokovic vs. Vit Kopriva: Match Details
- Tournament: Wimbledon 2024
- Match: Novak Djokovic vs. Vit Kopriva
- Round: First Round
- Date: 1 July, 2024
- Time: 11 am local time
- Venue: Center Court, Wimbledon
- Surface: Outdoor Grass
Novak Djokovic vs. Vit Kopriva: Match Preview
As mentioned earlier, Vit Kopriva will come into this match with more match fitness than Djokovic. He has won three Wimbledon qualifiers. The unseeded Czech beat German Henri Squire in three sets in the first qualifier. Afterward, he beat Hugo Dellien in three sets as well in the second qualifier.
Lastly, he came up against former top 10 player Richard Gasquet in the third qualifier. After losing the first set 6-3, Kopriva came back to dominate the next three sets and win 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
On the other hand, it’s all about fitness rather than match rhythm for Novak Djokovic. The Serbian hasn’t won a single tournament this year and hasn’t even made an ATP final in 2024. The meniscus injury at Roland Garros was the icing on the cake of a terrible season so far. However, we have seen before that he has turned the fate of his season at Wimbledon.
In 2018, the former World No. 1 came into Wimbledon without an ATP title as well. However, he won Wimbledon. The confidence he gained from that win helped him achieve the Cincinnati-US Open double and eventually clinch the year-end World No. 1 ranking.
Novak Djokovic vs. Vit Kopriva: Match Prediction
Novak Djokovic will be wary of the lawns in the first few rounds at Wimbledon. In 2021, Serena Williams retired from her match due to a knee injury she sustained. Adrian Mannarino also injured his knee in the opening round against Roger Federer.
In the same tournament, the Swiss Maestro played with fragile knees, which only hampered his condition and led to his retirement.
The Serbian’s knees are also extremely fragile coming into Wimbledon. As the tennis world expects him to make incredible gets and cover the court better than anyone, he should be mindful of these conditions.
On the other hand, Vit Kopriva will play the match without any expectations. After all, he is getting a chance to play against a seven-time Wimbledon champion.
Match Prediction: Novak Djokovic in three sets.
Novak Djokovic vs. Vit Kopriva: Live stream details
- USA: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, ABC, Tennis Channel
- UK and Europe (Except France): BBC, Eurosport
- France: beIN Sports France
- Australia: Nine & Stan Sport
- Canada: ESPN International, TSN/RDS
- India: Disney+Hotstar
In case you missed it:
- “Federer has a weakness. Nadal has weaknesses,” Mats Wilander explains why Novak Djokovic is the only member of Big 3 who ‘doesn’t have a weakness’
- Wimbledon Men’s Draw: Preview and prediction ft. Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and more
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Nikhil Sonmali
(1112 Articles Published)