At Wimbledon they are calling it the massacre of the seeds. And it has been bloodier than any grand slam in history. On the men’s side, four of the top 10 have been knocked out in the first round. Another four have also fallen in the women’s singles. That makes eight top-10 players in total, a record in the Open era.
And yet Novak Djokovic survives despite looking desperately wobbly against Alexandre Müller. Despite needing a doctor’s attention for a stomach bug. Despite squandering 20 out of 27 break points and six set points in the second set.
Of course he survived. The four horsemen of the apocalypse could ride through Wimbledon and he would still emerge from their dust, ready to fight on. And while it took over three hours, as well as plenty of unexpected detours, Djokovic was certainly delighted to come through 6-1, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-3 and to be given a hero’s ovation afterwards on Centre Court.
“To be quite frank, I went from feeling my absolute best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes,” he said. “Whether it was a stomach bug, I don’t know what it is. The energy kicked back after some doctor’s miracle pills, and I managed to finish the match on a good note.”
There was no sign of the drama that was to follow in the first 30 minutes. Müller, the world No 41, had to save three break points in the opening game and, having done so, then promptly lost the next six games.
It was vintage Djokovic. And while Müller steadied the ship in the second set, at 4-5 the Frenchman’s serve suddenly went awol and he found himself three set points down at 0-40.But then came the first surprising plot twist. Instead of pouncing, Djokovic blew all three chances – and then a fourth later in the game – as the second set drifted to a tie-break.
Incredibly, Djokovic then blew two more set points before Müller seized the day and levelled it up at one-set all. Suddenly the Serb looked weary and wobbly on his feet, while Müller was rattling in winners from both sides.
For a brief moment there seemed to be a real possibility that the greatest player in the game could be joining the other top-10 seeds on the men’s side – Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev – in going out.
Yet Djokovic dug in, fought back, and was suddenly flying again. “I knew that something was off with the stomach so hopefully when that calms down the energy will come back,” he said. “And that’s what happened.”
Next up is Britain’s Dan Evans, whose best days are surely behind him at 35 – although he is one of the few players to hold a winning record against Djokovic, having beaten him in Monte Carlo four years ago.
But having come through a mini-crisis, Djokovic can see sunnier days ahead. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I had a chance,” he insisted. “Come on! I think I always have a chance. I feel I have earned the right to think I can go all the way to the title.”
Earlier there was a major shock as Müller’s compatriot Arthur Rinderknech knocked out Zverev 7-6 (3), 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 in a sprawling match that started on Monday night and lasted close to five hours. The 29-year-old has long been the journeyman’s journeyman and has never got beyond the third round of any grand slam. But against Zverev he was inspired, hitting 79 winners including the cross-court backhand that brought victory. “It’s definitely the biggest win of my career,” said Rinderknech, ranked 72 in the world.