NOVAK Djokovic held his hands up.

He had put his foot in it over his choice of shoes at this year's Wimbledon. But the world No 1 is determined there will be no slip-ups today as he attempts to reclaim his SW19 singles title against Andy Murray.

Despite no objections being noted through the first four rounds, Wimbledon awoke to the news yesterday that the Serb had been forced to file down dimples on the side of his Adidas trainers, after it was brought to the All England Club's attention that they were in breach of rules which insist that "the foxing around the toes must be smooth". The veiled suggestion is that the 26-year-old – who slid awkwardly twice wearing the new footwear during his semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro – had been artificially improving his grip on the slick courts but the Serb displayed nifty enough footwork to sidestep the row yesterday.

"My shoes are fine," said Djokovic. "Even though I had a few falls [against Del Potro], nasty ones. But it was a high-intensity match with a lot of exchanges from the baseline, a lot of rallies. When you're defending, especially the back of the court, it's a little bit more slippery because there is a little bit more grass. So there is not much grip, that's why you slip. My adjustments are made."

One suspects the condition of the Serb's battered body is of more interest to the Murray camp than his footwear. At four hours 43 minutes, that last four showdown with the giant Argentine was the longest semi-final in the tournament's history, all played out to a backdrop of searing heat in the West London area.

More of that is forecast today – temperatures up to 30 degrees – but Djokovic has recovered from such gruelling encounters in the past, not least in the 2012 Australian Open, where he beat Murray over five hours then went six hours against Nadal.

This is a man who keeps his recovery methods close to his chest – back in 2011 it was reported he uses state-of-the-art pressure chambers – and he implied yesterday that he was fresh as a daisy.

"Everything has been going in the right way for me, to be honest," the Serb said. "I did play a very long match, but I have had situations before where I had to recover even just in 24 hours for the match the next day. I kind of got used to it and I know my body. I have a great team of people around me that make sure we respect everything that we usually do. I'm confident I'll be ready."

He spoke at this pre-final press conference of a hundred-thousand strong crowd thronging the streets in recognition of a returning Wimbledon hero. But it wasn't a prophesy of what Dunblane might be like next week, just what actually occurred in Belgrade back in 2011.

"I visualised holding this trophy when I was only six, seven years old," said the Serb, chasing his seventh major win. "So when I won it back in 2011 it was definitely the highlight of my career, and it still is.

"I went back and shared that trophy with my dearest ones in my life, all my family friends, all the people who have participated in my life in some way. One of the most important people was Jelena Gencic [his first coach, who died recently]. Going back to Belgrade, where we were welcomed by 100,000 people on the main square, was something that will probably never happen again. It's the most beautiful experience I have ever had."

One of the unintentional consequences of another victory today might be a change of Djokovic's holiday destination. The Serb visited Gleneagles last summer with his girlfriend, even texting Andy Murray with a road sign pointing to Dunblane as he drove past, but the welcome might be more muted if he prevails today.

"We didn't spend much time outdoors because it was raining all the time, which I've heard is very strange for this part of the world," Djokovic joked. "I got a very friendly welcome, you know, maybe because I still hadn't really played Andy at that time."

The two men had played, of course, just not the three meetings in the last four major finals (including today) which have come to define a relationship which started way back at a heavy defeat to Murray at an Under-12 tournament in the south of France.

"We have known each other since we were 11 years old and it has always been a very fair, very honest relationship," the Serb said. "Now we are big rivals and it's difficult. We don't get together and have dinners and parties, but we definitely always chat and remember the fun days we had as juniors. That was maybe my first international tournament and he crushed me! All I remember is his curly hair."

The Serb denies that his high-profile defeat to the Scot in last year's US Open damaged him unduly and insists it inspired him to return stronger. He got his own back four months later in Australia in a match where these two talented returners were unable to force a single service break until late in the third set.

"Andy deserved it [the US Open] because, you know, he was fighting all these years to get to that big stage and win a major title," said the world No 1. "But for me it was another valuable experience that probably helped me mentally in my approach to the Australian Open final where also it was very close and I managed to prevail. Being second is not the end of the world, you know, especially in the major events."

Defeat for either man tomorrow and it will certainly feel like it.