The all-time longest ATP World No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam Singles Champion, Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic at the Hurlingham Club on Friday as he prepares for his knee-injury comeback appearance at Wimbledon.
Djokovic won the first set 6-3 after breaking Medvedev early with an unstoppable forehand down the line to win the game. He took the second set 6-4 with the match point being a glorious back hand volley that landed inches over the net. The highly anticipated match did not disappoint, as eager fans watched the tennis stars get in some final competitive grass court time ahead of Wimbledon next week.
Speaking with event host, Jenny Drummond, after the match Djokovic said “I can tell you that I enjoyed myself really really much today. Thank you all for coming out, for supporting tennis and this event. I can tell you that pain free tennis is the best tennis.
“I was pain free and it was a great test yesterday as well, playing against the best players in the World… I really wanted to come out and test my knee and see how I feel, move around you know, try to stay low, you know the ball bounces very low on grass, especially here and the test was very successful so I’m obviously really glad.
Responding to Drummond on whether he thought he passed his on test he said, “Yeah I think so, I think the team will be happy, it’s been an intense three weeks after surgery, you know spending a lot out of hours rehabbing and trying to get myself ready for Wimbledon, I always wanted to give myself a chance to be in London.”
Thanking his surgeon and knee specialist he said, “Without them this whole thing today wouldn’t have been possible and I wouldn’t be playing Wimbledon, so I’m trying to take it day by day and see how far it goes.”
Earlier in the day, fans were treated to a brilliant opening game and saw World No. 25 and rising star Lorenzo Musetti defeat World No. 21 Karen Khachanov. Both players got the crowd up on their feet with trick shots though the legs and long lasting rallies. Musetti came out victorious after beating Khachanov 6-4, 7-6 (5).
The event is returning to The Hurlingham Club for its 30th edition this year, with Italian luxury fashion house Giorgio Armani as its title partner for the third year in a row. Fans can look forward to watching the world’s top players, showing off their world-class skills as they look to get some final competitive court time before Wimbledon.
Tournament Director, Nikhil Waugh said: “It is an incredible feat to be celebrating our 30th edition at the illustrious Hurlingham Club. It’s been an unbelievable journey, combining world-class tennis with the pinnacle of luxury, and we’re honoured to continue this tradition of excellence.”
