BIG TENNIS UPSET IN LONDON – RICKY CALLS IT – “AMERICAN BEAUTY” AS SAM QUERREY STUNS NOVAK DJOKOVIC & JOINS STEVIE JOHNSON IN WIMBLEDON FOURTH ROUND

Written by: on 2nd July 2016
Wimbledon Championships
BIG TENNIS UPSET IN LONDON - RICKY CALLS IT - "AMERICAN BEAUTY" AS SAM QUERREY STUNS NOVAK DJOKOVIC & JOINS STEVIE JOHNSON IN WIMBLEDON FOURTH ROUND

epa05401921 Sam Querrey of the USA returns to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their third round match at the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 01 July 2016 EPA/HANNAH MCKAY EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO COMMERCIAL SALES  |

By Ricky Dimon

 

There will be no calendar-year Grand Slam in 2016 and there will be a new Wimbledon champion.

 

That was assured when Sam Querrey stunned world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who triumphed at the All-England Club in both 2014 and 2015, with a 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(5) upset on Saturday afternoon. Querrey finished off the rain-delayed match after a total of two hours and 57 minutes, the last set of which produced the week’s most intense drama.

 

After the American took the first two sets on Friday, Djokovic benefited from yet another rain delay to get off to a roaring start one day later. The Serb raced through the third set and a fifth seemed imminent when he broke for a 5-4 lead in the fourth. But perhaps Querrey harbored more belief than the fans, most of whom were clearly in his corner.

 

“I’m not going to lie and say going into it I thought I was going to win,” Querrey admitted. “But I think as the match progressed, I was serving well and holding in the first set, we were kind of going back and forth, I gained a little more confidence with every game.”

 

The world No. 41 broke right back for 5-5 and then delivered a clutch hold that preceded–you guessed it–one final rain delay. After play resumed, Djokovic held easily to force a tiebreaker. The top seed seized a quick mini-break, but Querrey recovered for 3-3 at the change of ends and he eventually converted his second match point at 6-5 when Djokovic sent a forehand wide.

 

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns to Sam Querrey of the US in their third round match during the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 02 July 2016. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA

“Just congratulations to Sam,” Djokovic said to begin his press conference. “He played a terrific match. He served very well, as he usually does. I think that part of his game was brutal today. He made a lot of free points with the first serve. Just well done. He just overpowered me.”

 

“Yeah, definitely,” Querrey said when asked if this was the best win of his career. “I think with the stage that it was at, here at Wimbledon, to beat Novak, who is playing at such a high level for the past five years, I would say so.

 

“It’s not career‑defining, but it’s really exciting. It’s something that I’ll always get to have, which is great.”

 

Querrey’s doubles partner, Steve Johnson, will hope to produce a similarly Earth-shattering result on Monday. Johnson gave himself a shot at Roger Federer in the fourth round by taking out Grigor Dimitrov 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday.

 

“I think it’s great,” Johnson said of this banner day for American men’s tennis. “Maybe we won’t get bashed in the media for once for at least a couple guys…. I think we get criticized a bit for not winning slams, which is fair.”

 

They didn’t win a slam on Saturday, but Querrey certainly turned one upside down.

 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

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