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Djokovic passes Muller test to reach Wimbledon second round

Djokovic passes Muller test to reach Wimbledon second round

The Hindu12 hours ago
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic was made to work hard after a strong start as he began his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title by beating unseeded Frenchman Alexandre Muller 6-1 6-7(7) 6-2 6-2 to reach the second round on Tuesday (July 1, 2025).
The sixth seed, who is aiming to equal Roger Federer's haul at the All England Club and move past Margaret Court in the all-time list of major champions, will take on British wild card Dan Evans in the next round.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I have a chance, to be honest," Djokovic said.
"I think I always have a chance, I've earned my right to feel I can go all the way to the title. I've had arguably the most success of any Grand Slam in the last decade.
"It's just the beginning of the tournament. There are many fantastic players in the draw. I'm going to be playing a Briton in the next round. That's going to be a tough one, but I look forward to it.
"I've 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, who endured a poor year before lifting his 100th tour-level trophy in Geneva ahead of a run to the semi-finals of the French Open, powered through the opening set against Muller by winning six games on the trot.
Muller put up much more of a fight in the next set, saving five breakpoints to hold for 4-4 before forcing a tiebreak where he raised his game again to battle from 2-5 down and draw level in the match.
Djokovic caught his breath when the Centre Court roof was closed and then took a medical timeout early in the third set for a stomach problem, before going up 3-2 with a break after Muller hit his sixth double fault of the match.
Having wrapped up the third set, Djokovic racked up a 4-2 advantage in the fourth set with an exquisite backhand winner and there was no looking back from there as he completed the victory by holding to love.
"I went from feeling my absolute best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes," Djokovic added.
"Whether it was a stomach bug, I don't know what it was, but I just struggled with that. The energy kicked back in after some doctor's miracle pills.
"I managed to finish the match on a good note." (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in London; editing by Clare Fallon)
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