Uncharacteristically, he was broken by German opponent Philipp Kohlschreiber in his very first service game of the match. Then again at the start of the second set.
Otherwise, he methodically worked his way back into both, slowly grilling his ground strokes after choosing not to play on grass before the tournament.
Long rallies gave him the occasional chance to prove to himself the magic was still there, particularly with some of his cleverly-disguised drop-shots.
Moreover his serve – not usually a particular weapon you would associate with Novak Djokovic – seemed in very sound shape, firing down no fewer than 12 aces in the course of the match.
The Centre Court crowd were willing an upset in the usual British tradition of backing the underdog, but whether it was Kohlschreiber’s lack of a clinical finish on vital points of Djokovic simply digging that little bit deeper, it was not to be.
With exposure to SW19 acting like some sort of WD-40, by the end Djokovic’s game was fully greased and clanking through the gears menacingly.
A giant roar greeted the Serb’s inevitable break of Kohlschreiber in the third – the first point, incidentally, that Djokovic had won at the net.
With 34 of his final 38 points on serve safely in the bag – testament, perhaps to the presence of Goran Ivanisevic in his corner this summer – one final break, secured with one last thumping cross-court forehand, a was all it took.
The scoring might not have been tidy, but after 2 hr 3 min it was hard not to see this as a perfect first round workout.
He said: “It felt great to be back. It is a sacred court – the cradle of our sport – and has a special place in my heart and my career.
“I have been blessed to be able to play at this very special venue and every time I step onto the court I have great memories.
“I think it was ideal match. Opening rounds are tricky always against a quality opponents like Kohlschreiber, who has a lot of experience and beat me at Indian Wells.
“It was a great test for me. It was straight sets but all three were close.”
Further, Djokovic was quick to praise the impact made by Ivanisevic as part of his coaching team coming into Wimbledon.
“I have always looked up to him,” he said.” Serbia and Croatia used to be one country, so when I was growing up we all cheered him on from the region.
“When he won in 2001 I remember he stayed for a couple of weeks in his preparation in Germany where I was training so I considered I contributed to his win!
“Now it is great to have him by my side for the first week and then we will see. Hopefully we can have a long collaboration.”