TORONTO — Fatigue over the course of a long season is not a concern for Novak Djokovic.
The world No. 1 survived a scare from Gilles Muller and held on for a 7-5, 7-6 (3) win on Wednesday afternoon in the second round of the Rogers Cup. Although he seemed tired and sometimes frustrated in the heat of the centre court at York University’s Aviva Centre, Djokovic insisted that it was worth playing in Canada despite his busy ATP schedule.
"I actually think that Toronto is a great way for me to prepare for the Olympic Games and what’s coming up after that," said Djokovic, who noted that since he was upset in the third round at Wimbledon he had extra time off. "But also, you know, I enjoy my time in this tournament that I always love playing.
"I enjoy Canada, both cities, Toronto and Montreal, and the past results in history shows that I have a good time on Canadian soil, so I try to get the best out of it."
Although many top players have backed out of playing at the Rio Games — including Roger Federer and Canadian Milos Raonic — because of the potential risk of being exposed to the Zika virus or lingering injuries, Djokovic confirmed on Wednesday that he was committed to playing for Serbia at the international event.
Djokovic struggled against Muller on the hard court — his first match on the surface since March — both with his serves and his short game. Ultimately, unforced errors were Muller’s undoing, with both sets easily in reach of the unseeded player from Luxembourg.
"Gilles Muller is a very difficult player to play against in quick conditions," said Djokovic. "He takes away the time of the opponent. He serves and volleys second serve a lot, as well, which he’s one of the rare guys that does that.
"He likes to play quick, and I think the warm day like today played a lot in his favour."
Raonic and fellow Canadians Vasek Pospisil and Denis Shapovalov were scheduled for singles action on Wednesday evening.
Djokovic had trouble putting Muller away in the first set. A series of three consecutive unforced errors by Muller helped Djokovic regain control and eventually winning a break point.
The top-seeded Serb also struggled in the second set thanks in part to a 43 per cent success rate on his first serves, quickly falling behind 3-2. He tied it 3-3 on a stretched-out volley to centre court, but Muller replied with an overhead smash to again take the lead.
"I managed start of the match well and get set and a break up, and then I dropped my serve twice in the second set,"said Djokovic. "Those are the only, let’s say, downsides to the match today."
After trading two more games, Djokovic tied it, then forced a break point. Muller won it with a cutting cross-court backhand for advantage at 5-5 then followed up with an ace to take a 6-5 lead.
A backhand into the net by Muller tied it 6-6 and led to a tiebreak.
Muller came apart in the tiebreak, giving up several unforced errors, including a wide shot to end the match.
Also in second round play, Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic downed Peter Polansky of nearby Thornhill, Ont., 7-6 (5), 6-4. Australia’s Bernard Tomic defeated Toronto’s Steven Diez 6-3, 7-6 (4).
No. 2 seed Stan Wawrinka needed two tiebreaks to beat Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8), third seed Kei Nishikori downed Dennis Novikov 6-4, 7-5 and fifth seed Tomas Berdych dispatched Borna Coric 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Ryan Harrison upset ninth seeded John Isner 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4), 6-4, Rajeev Ram beat Lucas Pouille 6-4, 7-6 and Jack Sock cruised past Donald Young 6-4, 6-3.
