LONDON: Novak Djokovic overcame physical issues to kick off his Wimbledon campaign with a victory, beating Frenchman Alexandre Muller 6-1, 6-7(9), 6-2, 6-2 here at Centre Court in the opening round on Tuesday.
Djokovic is bidding for his eighth Wimbledon title, aiming to equal the record set by Roger Federer.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion started aggressively, winning the first set comfortably, but Muller rallied in the second, forcing a tie-break that he managed to clinch.
Djokovic took control of the match in the third set, claiming the victory after winning two consecutive sets.
In the mid-match, the Serbian had to call for medical help and get treatment to continue with the match.
In a post-match interview, Djokovic thanked the ‘doctors’ miracle pills’ for helping him continue the showdown.
“I enjoyed myself, obviously a bit less in the second set, but I went from feeling my absolute best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes,” Djokovic said.
“Whether it was a stomach bug, I don’t know what it is. I struggled with that, but the energy came back after some doctors’ miracle pills, and I managed to finish the match on a good note.
“I struggled with that, but the energy came back after some doctors’ miracle pills, and I managed to finish the match on a good note.”
Meanwhile, World number one Jannik Sinner advanced to the second round, defeating fellow Italian Luca Nardi in his opening clash at the tournament by 6-4, 6-3, 6-0.
Furthermore, third seed Germany’s Alexander Zverev became the highest men’s seed to be eliminated in the first round of Wimbledon, suffering a 7-6(3), 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4 defeat to France’s Arthur Rinderknech in a five-set marathon.
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