NOVAK DJOKOVIC LOSES TO BELGIAN DAVID GOFFIN IN MONTE-CARLO ATP TENNIS QUARTERFINALS • RAFA FOCUSED

Written by: Staff on 21st April 2017

NOVAK DJOKOVIC LOSES TO BELGIAN DAVID GOFFIN IN MONTE-CARLO ATP TENNIS QUARTERFINALS • RAFA FOCUSED

epa05919546 Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his quarter final match against David Goffin of Belgium at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tournament in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France, 21 April 2017. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER |

By Ricky Dimon

Novak Djokovic played with fire in his first two matches at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. He finally got burned on Friday.

Djokovic, who survived a pair of tough three-setters in rounds two and three, lost to David Goffin 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 during quarterfinal action. Goffin recovered from a 4-2 deficit in the decisive set to pull off the upset after two hours and 37 minutes.

The world No. 2 had previously scraped past Gilles Simon 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 and Pablo Carreno Busta 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, and for a while it looked like something similar would transpire against Goffin. Djokovic survived a service game at 3-2 in the third that lasted more than 10 minutes, but he soon donated serve at 4-3. Another difficult effort on serve at 5-6 proved to seal Djokovic’s fate, as he fought off four match points but could not save a fifth when a groundstroke by Goffin that skidded off the baseline was too much to handle.

“I started slowly, probably because I played two long matches,” Djokovic commented. “But I thought as the match progressed I was feeling okay. You know, I was physically fine. We had a lot of exchanges, a lot of rallies. David is playing very quick. He’s a fast player. I thought I played very, very well for a set and a half–from the start of the second set. Then that unfortunate game when I dropped my serve, the match turned around.

“I had my chances; I definitely did. I just didn’t use them.”

David Goffin of Belgium celebrates winning against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their quarter final match at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tournament in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France, 21 April 2017. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER

“I don’t know why, but the atmosphere on the court was really nice,” Goffin explained. “It was a really special match and the best win of my career. It doesn’t matter how you played before against (Djokovic), you just have to do your best and give everything on the court. Maybe once, like today, it goes well.”

It almost always goes well for Rafael Nadal in Monte-Carlo and it did just that again in his quarterfinal contest against Diego Schwartzman on Friday night. The nine-time Monte-Carlo champ got the job done 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 39 minutes.

Nadal trailed 4-2 in the second set while serving at 30-30 before reeling of the last 14 points of the match.

“It wasn’t easy to find a real way to win, but I played much better in the last three-and-a-half games–more aggressive with my forehand,” the world No. 7 said. “I finally found the way to create damage on the opponent. I am in the semifinals; that’s what I’m looking for: a great start to the clay-court season.”

Nadal and Goffin are joined in the semifinals by Lucas Pouille and Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who will face each other on Saturday.