"I need an injection every two weeks, all my life" - Novak Djokovic's US Open 1R opponent Alexandre Muller opens up about his Crohn's disease battle

Alexandre Muller, who will take on Novak Djokovic at the 2023 US Open on Monday (28 August), recently talked about competing on the tour while suffering from Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

The 26-year-old Frenchman said that he needs to take an injection every two weeks to deal with the disease, and that it can feel "quite bad" at times.

"I need to do an injection to myself every two weeks, all my life. So it's not that easy, but I'm trying to manage it. Sometimes I’m feeling quite bad," Muller said (via the ATP Tour website).

Muller also said that his doctor had advised him not to seek a career in sports. However, he didn't get too bogged down by their diagnosis and began training again after a break of nearly two months.

"It was not easy because the doctor told me if I wanted to be in good shape, I needed to stop tennis and sports in general. Not playing the sport, but when you're a professional tennis player, you practise every day, so it's very hard. I needed to stop it. I stopped training for maybe two months, I took a lot of cortisone. It's the process with this disease. So now I'm trying to manage it," he added.

The World No. 84 added that he chooses to live in the moment, and that he was elated at the prospect of playing on the Arthur Ashe Stadium against three-time champion Novak Djokovic.

“I think the most important thing is that I need to enjoy the moment, because I don't know what's going to be my career. But I'm going to play on centre court, night session, Arthur Ashe Stadium. I need to enjoy it, play my tennis, we'll see what happens,” he said.

Novak Djokovic and Alexandre Muller will meet for the first time in their career in Flushing Meadows

Novak Djokovic is coming into the 2023 US Open in red-hot form

Novak Djokovic will open his 2023 US Open campaign against France's Alexander Muller at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday. The match is expected to begin after 9 p.m. local time, since it will be the final match of the day on the main court.

The first-round encounter in New York City will be the first-ever meeting between Djokovic and Muller, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Djokovic has had the perfect preparation for this year's US Open as he mounts his challenge for an Open Era record breaking 24th Major title in Flushing Meadows. The Serb was flawless at the Cincinnati Open, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the championship match in three tumultuous sets.

Muller, meanwhile, has been in less than ideal form leading up to the New York Major. The Frenchman is currently on a six-match losing streak. Having said that, his explosive groundstrokes should match up well against his 36-year-old opponent, who employs more of a precision-based playing style from the baseline.