Start as you mean to go on 🙌 Djokovic kicks off his Wimbledon campaign with a win over Muller!
Novak Djokovic is nothing if not predictable in his pursuit of history. When Centre Court’s retractable roof slid into place to keep out the stubborn London drizzle, the seven-time champion strolled onto the pristine grass, bounced the ball with metronomic calm, and proceeded to play the sort of measured, almost ceremonial first-round tennis that has become his Wimbledon trademark. His 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 dismissal of France’s Alexandre Muller was business-like, but it carried an unmistakable message: the favourite is here, the knee is fine, and the quest for an eighth men’s singles crown has begun in earnest.
Before a single point was struck, questions had swirled around Djokovic’s fitness after his swift recovery from knee surgery, performed less than a month ago. If he was still hampered, he hid it. From the opening rally he moved with gliding efficiency, leaning into low slices, sliding into forehands, and scampering forward for deft drop-shots that coaxed appreciative murmurs from a sophisticated crowd. Muller, ranked just inside the top 100, arrived with nothing to lose and a serve built for quick points, yet he soon found himself pinned behind the baseline by the sheer consistency of Djokovic’s returns.
The first set served as a microcosm of Djokovic’s grass-court mastery. Each time Muller produced a clean winner or an aced serve, the Serb responded with an unfussy hold, forcing his opponent to red-line again and again just to stay level. At 4-5, the pressure proved too heavy. Djokovic turned the screw with deep, net-skimming backhands, traded a pair of lung-burning rallies, and snatched the decisive break when Muller pushed a forehand wide. In a flash the set was gone: 36 minutes of controlled aggression, one set on the board.
If Muller had entertained ideas of a comeback, they evaporated early in the second. Djokovic broke to love in the opening game, punctuating the run with a pick-up volley that should be placed in a Wimbledon instructional video. Freed by the lead, he began to toy with angles, pulling the Frenchman out of position before sliding a clinching shot into the open court. Meanwhile, the serve—never his biggest weapon—operated with clinical efficiency. Only one break point was offered all afternoon, and Muller’s single look vanished on a precisely placed kick serve into the ad court.
The match tightened briefly in the third set when Muller found a burst of courage, mixing in surprise serve-and-volley plays and firing a pair of untouchable forehands to hold for 3-3. Djokovic responded with trademark ferocity, lifting his return game a gear. A rasping backhand pass opened a 15-40 window, and a double fault from Muller allowed the 24-time major champion to jog to the sideline with the crucial break secured. Five points later, the handshake sealed a ruthlessly efficient 111-minute outing.
Statistics tell the story behind the straightforward scoreline. Djokovic landed 72 percent of his first serves, won 83 percent of those points, and committed a paltry nine unforced errors—an astonishing number considering the slick first-day grass that typically produces miscues. He also converted four of seven break chances while saving the lone point he faced. Muller, for his part, fired 24 winners but was suffocated by 30 unforced errors, a testament to the defensive web the Serb spun across Centre Court.
Afterward, Djokovic cut a relaxed figure. “The knee felt great,” he told reporters. “We did a lot of work, and I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could go deep.” Asked about matching Roger Federer’s men’s record of eight Wimbledon titles, he simply smiled. “One match at a time. Today was a good start, but it’s a long journey.”
That journey doesn’t get easier. Awaiting in round two is the resilient Brit wildcard Jacob Fearnley, backed by a partisan crowd. But if Monday’s opener was any indication, Djokovic’s hunger remains undiminished, his body cooperative, and his aura intact. The grass-court season often hinges on momentum, and with this pristine first step, the world number two has announced, once again, that the road to the Wimbledon title still runs through him.
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