LONDON – Novak Djokovic was visited twice by a doctor for a stomach issue and given what he called “miracle pills” during a 6-1, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-2 victory over Alexandre Muller in Wimbledon's first round on Tuesday night.
Djokovic needed a break while trailing 2-1 in the third set at Centre Court and was seen again later in that set.
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“I went from feeling my absolutely 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, but just struggled with that. The energy kind of kicked back after some doctor’s miracle pills and I managed to finish the match on a good note.”
He improved to 20-0 in opening matches at the All England Club, where he has won seven of his 24 Grand Slam titles. He's been to the final at each of the last six editions, although he lost at that stage to Carlos Alcaraz in 2023 and 2024.
“I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I have a chance. I think I always have a chance. I think I earned my right to really feel like I can go all the way to the title,” the 38-year-old from Serbia said. “I always felt like grass, particularly in the second part of my career, was really the surface where I played my best tennis. So why not do it again?”
Djokovic avoided the sort of upset that's been rampant on the tournament's initial two days: A total of 23 seeds — 13 men, 10 women — already is out of the field, tying the highest number at a Grand Slam tournament since 2001, when they began seeding 32 players in each singles bracket.
Did he consider stopping Tuesday because of how he was feeling?
“No,” he replied. “I honestly wasn't thinking about that or taking that as an option.”
Djokovic accumulated a whopping 27 break points against the unseeded Muller, converting seven.
Across the 3 hours, 19 minutes, Djokovic only faced three break chances for Muller — none until the last set — and saved each.
“I came up with some big serves,” said Djokovic, who will face Dan Evans of Britain on Thursday. “Overall, I served very well today. That's one of the things I've been working on.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis