Novak Djokovic Tested In Toronto

 

Novak Djokovic was given a stern test at the Rogers Cup in Toronto where he survived two tight sets to beat Luxembourg's Gilles Muller. Playing his first match since losing in the third round at Wimbledon, the world No 1 was on court for 104 minutes in posting a 7-5 7-6 (7-3) victory.

Djokovic needed two chances to wrap up the win, after he failed to serve out for the match in the 10th game of the second set, when he was broken to 15. Muller, the 33-year-old world No 37, appeared to be staging a recovery towards the end of the second set but - from 3-1 up in the tie-break - he was powerless to prevent the Serbian from reeling off six straight points. Djokovic, who suffered a shock defeat at SW19 earlier this month when he lost to Sam Querrey, will now face the experienced Radek Stepanek in the last 16.

Djokovic said “It's tough playing the first hardcourt match since March. It was hot and that made the ball move very fast, it was hard to control, it was not easy to play. But I managed to stay tough. I was disappointed to lose serve twice in the second set when I was up a break but I was just glad to close this out in straight sets.”