<figure id="attachment_3098449" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3098449" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3098449" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/71b30aaa-novak-djokovic.jpg" alt="Novak Djokovic" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3098449" class="wp-caption-text">Serbia&#8217;s Novak Djokovic receives treatment during a medical timeout in his first-round match against France’s Alexandre Muller. (AP pic)</figcaption></figure>
LONDON: 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.
The sixth seed, who is aiming to equal Roger Federer&#8217;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.
&#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t be here if I didn&#8217;t think I have a chance, to be honest,&#8221; Djokovic said.
&#8220;I think I always have a chance, I&#8217;ve earned my right to feel I can go all the way to the title. I&#8217;ve had arguably the most success of any Grand Slam here in the last decade.
&#8220;It&#8217;s just the beginning of the tournament. There are many fantastic players in the draw. I&#8217;m going to be playing a Briton in the next round. That&#8217;s going to be a tough one, but I look forward to it.
&#8220;I&#8217;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?&#8221;
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.
&#8220;I went from feeling my absolute best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes,&#8221; Djokovic added.
&#8220;Whether it was a stomach bug, I don&#8217;t know what it was, but I just struggled with that. The energy kicked back in after some doctor&#8217;s miracle pills.
&#8220;I managed to finish the match on a good note.&#8221;

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