Novak Djokovic set up a second-round meeting with British wildcard Dan Evans after an exhausting four-set victory over Alexandre Muller in which he said he felt his “absolute worst” for 45 minutes due to stomach pain.
Djokovic appeared to suffer from fatigue and used a medical timeout after the second set, at which point he was given “doctors’ miracle pills” for stomach discomfort.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion eventually came through the match, beating the unseeded Frenchman 6-1, 6-7(7-9), 6-2, 6-2 in a thriller on Centre Court which finished at 10:30pm, the second of which took place under the roof.
Djokovic, a 24-time grand slam winner, is hunting an eighth Wimbledon title, which would pull him level with Roger Federer as the most successful men’s player in the competition’s history.
The 38-year-old was made to work mightily hard for his passage to the second round, however, with fearless Muller attempting big winners and even bigger serves.
The world No6 now faces Evans after the 35-year-old overcame fellow British wildcard Jay Clarke 6-1, 7-5, 6-3 earlier on Tuesday out on Court 12.
“It’s great to finish this match before the curfew,” Djokovic said on court afterwards. “Thank you for the support.
“I have to say the sacredness of this court and tournament is a childhood dream, so I never take walking out on this court for granted.
“I went from feeling my absolute best to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes. I don’t know what it was. I managed to finish the match on a good note after some doctors’ miracle pills.”
Djokovic was asked whether he ever feared needing to retire from the match.
“No, I honestly wasn’t thinking about that,” the Serb replied. “But I knew something was off with the stomach. Hopefully when that went down the energy would come back. That’s what happened.
“Overall I served very well today. I’m trying to get as many free points as I can. I found, I guess, the right shot at the right time.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I had a chance [of winning Wimbledon]. I think I am within my rights to really feel I can go all the way this year. I’ve always enjoyed myself on this Court — except when I play [Carlos] Alcaraz in the last couple of years.
“I always feel grass is the surface where I play my best tennis, so why not do it again?”
