In the third round, 28th seed Sam Querrey of the United States stunned Djokovic with a 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 victory, ending the 3-time victor and defending champion’s hopes of a calendar-year Grand Slam. Djokovic, the defending Wimbledon champion, had not lost a match in a Grand Slam tournament since last year’s French Open final, a streak of 30 wins.
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“He served very well, as he usually does”. “Certainly, I thought he could be the guy to do it”.
“He just overpowered me”, was Djokovic’s simple assessment.
Rod Laver admitted Sunday he was saddened by Novak Djokovic’s failure to break his 47-year long Grand Slam record.
“It was exciting for me, it was exciting for everyone else”, Querrey said of beating Djokovic, and then Mahut. I managed to win four grand slams in a row – two different seasons, though.
‘The difference between this year and 2013 is those players were all in my section of the draw, and so their losses had quite a direct effect, whereas Novak Djokovic losing on Saturday won’t have any bearing on me at all unless I reach the final.
The world’s number one player was taken down by the unassuming Sam Querrey of the U.S. on Saturday, in an encounter which saw Djokovic subdued for a large part of the match. The Serb saved a first match point with an ace but on the second he put a forehand wide, upon which Querrey leapt into the air in celebration.
But he couldn’t convert with the American hitting straight back for 5-5 and holding for 6-5 when the rain returned to cause a second suspension of the day on Court One. He quickly won the first four games of the third set, only for rain to start falling again.
Querrey showed great composure, saving 11 out of 12 break points in the fourth set, several with aces, as Djokovic tried everything to take the match into a deciding set.
“I think that today I played the break points really well”. I broke back once in the third set, which helped me gain back a little momentum for the fourth set. “In the tiebreak, I was leading”. Just wasn’t feeling the ball as well as I wished.
It was his first loss before the quarter-final of a grand slam tournament since 2009 when he also bowed out of a major in the third round at the French Open.
“As I said, you know, in sports everything is possible”, Djokovic said.
“Everyone was happy for me and gave me some type of high five or congratulations”. Sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes against.
“Anytime you get to make a quarterfinal, it’s great”. I have seen him beat Novak before. “It’s actually special that they are playing tomorrow because it’s like a tradition here in Wimbledon”. Every time I step out on the court, if I don’t win, it’s major national news.
Having also brushed aside Liam Broady and Lu Yen-Hsun without dropping a set in the first two rounds, Murray appears to peaking just in time for the latter stages of the tournament. “That’s what it takes to beat the best player”.
OK, why not? Why couldn’t Sam Querrey win Wimbledon?
Kei Nishikori retired from his fourth-round match against Marin Cilic because of injury.
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In-form American Steve Johnson reached the fourth round of a major for the first time by defeating former semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-2.
