Novak Djokovic has thanked his doctor’s ‘miracle pills’ for helping him progress into the Wimbledon second round.
The Serb eased through the first set 6-1 against opponent Alexandre Muller. However, he lost the second 7-6.
As Djokovic fell 2-1 behind in the third set, the 38-year-old asked for a doctor because he was having issues with his stomach.
They certainly did the trick with the 24-time Grand Slam winner beating Muller 6-2, 6-2 in the third and fourth sets.
Looking to secure an eighth Wimbledon title, Djokovic will now face Britain’s Dan Evans in the second round.
‘Feeling my absolute worst’ says Novak Djokovic
The tennis legend spoke to the media after his victory to explain his issues out on the court. He said: “It’s great to be back in Wimbledon and obviously I have to say that first and acknowledge the sacredness of this court.
“This tournament has always meant a lot to me and to many other players, it’s a childhood dream so I never take stepping out on this court for granted.
“I enjoyed myself, obviously a bit less in the second set, but I went from feeling my absolute best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes, whether it was a stomach bug, I don’t know what it is.
“I struggled with that, but the energy kicked back after some doctor’s miracle pills and I managed to finish the match on a good note.
“Credit to Alex [Muller} for playing some really good tennis. He fought in the second set and deserves a round of applause for the battle.”
Wednesday at Wimbledon and the favourites
Carlos Alcaraz is the headline player on Wednesday and the defending champion will take on British qualifier Oliver Tarvet on centre court.
That match will follow world number one Aryna Sabalenka’s match against Marie Bouzkova which starts at 13:30.
Finally on centre court, Emma Raducanu will be looking to progress into the third round when she takes on 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova.
Elsewhere, Cameron Norris takes on Frances Tifoe on Court One at 13:00 before Britain’s Katie Boulter plays Argentina’s Solana Sierra.
As it stands, Alcaraz is the unsurprising favourite at 6/5 followed by Italian world number one Jannik Sinner (17/10) with Irish betting sites.
Djokovic is third favourite at 11/2 while top-ranked Briton Jack Draper is 13/1.
In the women’s draw, Coco Gauff’s shock exit means Sabalenka is 23/10 favourite to win outright, ahead of Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek.
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