Two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic was sent crashing out of Wimbledon by big-serving Sam Querrey yesterday, shattering his dreams of securing the first calendar Grand Slam in 47 years.
The world number one, bidding for a fourth Wimbledon title and 13th major, suffered his earliest loss at a Slam since the 2009 French Open. The 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) third round defeat also ended Djokovic’s Open era record run of 30 successive wins at the majors and his streak of having reached 28 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals.
“Sam played a great match. His game was brutal and I was overpowered today,” said the Serb, who added that he ‘wasn’t 100 % healthy’. “But this is not the place or time to talk about it.”
Djokovic, who completed a career Grand Slam at the French Open last month, refused to dwell on failing to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win a calendar Grand Slam having won in Melbourne and Paris already this year.
“I managed to win four Grand Slams in a row. I want to try to focus on that rather than on failure,” he added. “It’s an amazing feeling, obviously, to be able to hold four Grand Slams at the same time. Coming into Wimbledon, I knew that mentally it’s not going to be easy to kind of remotivate myself.”
Djokovic added that he would not be playing in the Davis Cup quarter-final against Andy Murray’s Great Britain in Belgrade in two weeks’ time.
America’s Querrey, the world number 41, built only his second win in 10 meetings with Djokovic on an epic-serving performance over two days after the tie had been suspended with him two sets to the good on Friday. The 28-year-old sent down 31 aces — 15 in the fourth set alone — and saved 14 of 17 break points while unleashing 56 winners.
His reward is a last-16 clash with 34-year-old Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. “It’s incredible, especially to do it here at Wimbledon. I’m so ecstatic right now and so happy,” said Querrey. Rain had saved 29-year-old Djokovic on Friday when the match was halted.
On the resumption yesterday, the US, Australian and French Open champion took the third set 6-3. In the fourth, he squandered 11 break points before finally breaking through at the 12th time of asking for a 5-4 lead.
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 lengthy suspension of the day on Court One. Djokovic served to take the set into the tiebreak and was ahead at 2/0 and 4/3 but the resolute Querrey clawed his way to two match points. The top seed saved the first, but ballooned a forehand wide and his fate was sealed.

Murray cruises through
Djokovic’s defeat was good news for second seed Andy Murray who lost to his long-time rival in the Australian and French Open finals this year. The 2013 champion responded by making the last-16 with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 victory over Australia’s John Millman under the Centre Court roof.
“What Novak’s done in the last 18 months, I don’t think we’ll see again for a long time. The level of consistency he’s had is amazing, but it’s impossible to win every match,” said Murray. He will play Australian 15th seed Nick Kyrgios or Spain’s Feliciano Lopez for a place in the quarter-finals.
Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori beat Andrey Kuznetsov 7-5, 6-3, 7-5 to set up a last-16 clash with Marin Cilic, the Croatian ninth seed who eased past Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. That will be a repeat of the 2014 US Open final won by Cilic.
Three more hours were lost to rain yesterday, justifying further the tournament’s decision to stage play on the middle Sunday for the first time since 2004. Due to the rain-hit first week, two-time champion Petra Kvitova only finished her second round match at 5:30pm (1630 GMT) while others were already safely into the last 16. But the Czech 10th seed, with 43 unforced errors, lost 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) to Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova.
German fourth seed and Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber reached the Wimbledon last-16 yesterday with a 7-6 (13/11), 6-1 win over compatriot Carian Witthoeft. A semi-finalist in 2012, Kerber will face Japan’s Misaki Doi for a place in the quarter-finals.
Results
(X denotes seeded player):
Men: third round: 19 Sam Querrey (USA x28) bt Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5); Nicolas Mahut (FRA) bt Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Steve Johnson (USA) bt Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-2; Marin Cilic (CRO x9) bt Lukas Lacko (SVK) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4; Kei Nishikori (JPN x5) bt Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) 7-5, 6-3, 7-5; Bernard Tomic (AUS x19) bt Roberto Bautista (ESP x14) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4; Andy Murray (GBR x2) bt John Millman (AUS) 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
Second round: Alexander Zverev (GER x24) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2

Women third round: Simona Halep (ROM x5) bt Kiki Bertens (NED x26) 6-4, 6-3; Misaki Doi (JPN) bt Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER) 7-6 (7/1), 6-3; Angelique Kerber (GER) bt Carina Witthoeft (GER) 7-6 (13/11), 6-1; Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) bt Sabine Lisicki (GER) 7-6 (7/2), 6-1; Lucie Safarova (CZE x28) bt Jana Cepelov? (SVK) 4-6, 6-1, 12-10
Second round: Sloane Stephens (USA x18) bt Mandy Minella (LUX) 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 8-6; Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x11) bt Monica Niculescu (ROM) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1; Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x10) 7-5, 7-6 (7/5)
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