Alexandre Muller used some pretty strong words to describe how tough it was to play against Novak Djokovic as the world No. 70 said he felt like he was being "suffocated" out there.
ADVERTISEMENT
12 months ago, the 27-year-old got a chance to meet the record 24-time Grand Slam champion for the first time. To say the least, it wasn't a good day at the office for the Frenchman as the Serb dismantled him with a 6-0 6-2 6-3 scoreline.
At the start of the match, the current world No. 4 stormed past the first set after not allowing Muller a single game or break point and he also won the opening two games of the following set.
After losing the first eight games, the Frenchman finally got on the board after serving out to love the third game but he found himself down by two breaks after dropping his serve again in the fifth game. A bit unexpectedly, the world No. 70 then managed to get one break back in the sixth game but Djokovic quickly addressed it by taking the next two games and opening a two-set lead.
ADVERTISEMENT
While Muller managed to stabilize a bit and open go 3-2 up in the third set, it didn't take long before the Serb went on another big run as collected the next four games to complete his dominant win with just five lost games.
In the summer of 2023, the 27-year-old also played Carlos Alcaraz for the first time and the Spaniard handed him a 6-4 7-6 (2) 6-3 loss at Wimbledon.
"Against Novak, the truth is that I've never felt like that on a tennis court before. It was totally suffocating. The guy leaves you nothing, not a crumb, it's horrible. I played Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon and it was almost relaxing compared to Novak. Carlos lets you breathe a little, but Novak suffocates you all the time," Muller told We Are Tennis.
ADVERTISEMENT
Muller previously described Djokovic as 'more impressive' than Alcaraz
In one of his past interviews with French media, the 70th-ranked player admitted to feeling "afraid" on the court after the four-time US Open champion easily won the first eight games of their match. Luckily for him, he was able to step up a bit from that moment and avoid completely embarrassing himself.
But against Alcaraz, the Frenchman described it as a completely different situation as he claimed he felt he would definitely have some chances at winning games and maybe even sets.
"Djoko doesnt let you breathe. There were 60, 20, I was afraid. We said to ourselves: Am I going to play? Whereas Alcaraz, he is more flamboyant, but I had small games where I was able to win easily. Djokovic is more impressive," Muller told L'Equipe.
In that same interview, the 27-year-old confessed that he felt if Djokovic really wanted to give him a triple-double bagel, he would have done it.
ADVERTISEMENT
They are two different games. We talked about it with my coach Grard Solvs. I told him that against Alcaraz, I knew I was going to score. He tries a lot, so he makes a lot more mistakes. But against Novak, I had the impression that if he wanted to put me three times 6-0 up, he could do it. Hes so solid, he doesnt give away any free points and that makes it more complicated for me. With Alcaraz, I have a bit more breathing space to win games," he explained.
Do you what was interesting about the Djokovic and Muller match?
If you remember well, the Serb didn't compete at the 2022 US Open because he wasn't allowed to enter the country unvaccinated. But after the COVID restrictions were relaxed, the 37-year-old was free to return to Flushing Meadows in 2023.
ADVERTISEMENT
And since the former world No. 1 felt so happy about returning to the court, it wasn't too hard for him to deliver an inspirational performance in his first match back. While it was great for him, it wasn't that pleasant for Muller.
"It was a great joy to be stepping out on the court. I think the performance explains how I felt tonight, particularly in the first two sets. It was kind of lights-out tennis really, almost flawless, perfect first set. I've probably had the answer for every shot he had in his book. Overall I'm very, very pleased with the way I feel, with the way I'm playing. Hopefully I can maintain that level. It's just the beginning of the tournament, but I already like the level of tennis," Djokovic said after destroying Muller in his US Open return last year.
