Novak Djokovic provides update on his fitness just two days before his first round at Wimbledon

The Serb came close to capturing a quarter-century of majors at the Australian Open earlier this year, where he made the final before falling to Carlos Alcaraz.

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At Roland Garros, however, Djokovic suffered his worst finish at a major in almost two years, losing in the third round to Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca.

With the disappointment in Paris behind him, the 39-year-old revealed his preparations for Wimbledon have gone much better than those of the previous Grand Slam.

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Comparing how his body feels now with how it felt before the French Open in a press conference, Djokovic said: “I think it is different in terms of just the overall physical state.

“I think I’m better prepared here than I was for Roland Garros. Obviously playing on grass, compared to clay, you don’t need to exert as much physical effort. So that’s better for me.

“I always loved playing on grass. I have a very good history here at Wimbledon. That gives me, of course, a higher dose of confidence coming into the tournament.

“Roland Garros was physically very draining, demanding. The three matches that I played all went almost four hours. But I’m proud of the effort.

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“I lost in the third round against an opponent 20 years younger than me, fought until the end in five sets, almost four-and-a-half hours that we played.

“Yeah, of course, maybe not the result I was looking for, but the effort was there. Anyway, I was planning to peak at Wimbledon after the shoulder injury that kept me away from the tour for several months.

“I knew that not having any official matches on the tour and going pretty much straight into Roland Garros was going to be quite difficult, maybe too big of a challenge for me at the moment. That’s what happened.

“But I knew that would give me a bit more time to prepare for Wimbledon. So hopefully I’ll have a good tournament here.”

Novak Djokovic says how the heat has affected the Wimbledon grass

A heat wave hit the UK in the week before Wimbledon, with temperatures reaching a high of 37.3 C in the country.

“As I understand, the weather is going to settle a little bit next week when the tournament starts,” said Djokovic.

“But yes, this week has been one of the hottest weeks ever in my experience in more than 20 years at Wimbledon.

“It does have an effect [on the grass] because it’s a live surface, a live material. Any change in temperature or weather conditions affects the way the grass responds.

“Obviously, when it’s very hot, the grass softens and the soil softens. It does affect the bounce, which is lower, and the surface can play quicker.

“But the balls respond differently. When it’s very hot and humid, they get bigger and fluffier, which slows the game down. It’s an interesting situation because the balls and the surface react in opposite ways.

“In terms of how slippery it is, grass is always slippery. Luckily, playing one exhibition match and some practice sets this week, I haven’t slipped or fallen once. I don’t know if that’s a good sign or if something is coming next week. We’ll see.

“You always have to be a little more careful compared to the other surfaces with the way you move. I do slide on grass, but I have to adjust my footing and my steps more in order to move effectively. It’s not like the other surfaces.

“Let’s see what happens. I think the temperature is going to cool down. Hopefully, we’ll have nice, pleasant weather for us to play in and for the crowd as well, because it’s not comfortable for them sitting in 35-degree heat.”

Djokovic will take on Chinese player Wu Yibing in his first-round match at Wimbledon on Monday.