US Open 2009: Andy Murray knocked out by Marin Cilic in fourth round - Telegraph US Open US Open 2009: Andy Murray knocked out by Marin Cilic in fourth round It will be no surprise if, in the coming days, a tape of Andy Murray’s US Open defeat pops up on American cable television on The Mystery Channel. Grand-slammed: Andy Murray expresses his anguish during his comprehensive fourth-round defeat by Marin Cilic at the US Open Photo: GETTY IMAGES By Mark Hodgkinson in New York 9:31PM BST 08 Sep 2009 After turning in his weirdest and flattest performance of this or any other grand slam year, Murray lost to Croatia’s Marin Cilic in straight sets in the fourth round. The news that Murray has had an injury to his left wrist for the past week or so did not come close to properly explaining how this match played out. The lack of energy from the spectators in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, during the first afternoon session after the long Labor Day weekend, probably did not help Murray, the world No 2 and last summer’s runner-up to Roger Federer. It was an utterly odd performance by Murray.

After failing to convert a couple of set points in the opening set, he faded badly, including losing seven games in a row. Murray, playing his first grand slam as the world No 2 and the second seed, lost quietly, extremely quietly. There have been times over the course of the season when he has angrily punched the strings of his racket, bloodying his knuckles, but there was no aggression, no punches, no gore here. “He looked like a deer in the headlights after he didn’t break to take the first set,” said Brad Gilbert, Murray’s former coach. “Worse things have happened to me outside tennis, that’s for sure,” Murray said after his 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 defeat, “But it’s the biggest disappointment of my tennis career.” Related Articles Big-time for Andy Murray 07 Sep 2009 Murray, who is regarded as the best returner in the game, did not do much with his opponent’s serve, and Cilic, a 20 year-old ranked 17 in the world, beat a top-three opponent for the first time and went through to his first grand slam quarter-final to play Juan Martin del Potro, of Argentina.

Murray’s three previous defeats at the grand slams this year were easier to understand, as Spain’s Fernando Verdasco timed his shots sweetly in the fourth round of the Australian Open, and Chilean Fernando Gonzalez smacked the felt off the balls in the quarter-finals of the French Open. In the semi-finals of this summer’s Wimbledon, America’s Andy Roddick played one of the best matches of his life to beat Murray. However, working out this latest defeat was almost impossible. Only two days earlier Murray had returned the ball beautifully against American Taylor Dent, who was serving at 140mph-plus. In the opening games Cilic made it clear how he was going to play this match; he was going to take a giant backswing on his forehands, and then he was going to welt the ball. Even when a few balls landed long or wide, he carried on swinging, carried on going for his shots. Cilic, who is 6ft 6in, was the only one who was willing to attack. Murray was playing too defensively, even when he had chances to break Cilic in the sixth game of the match.

The most impressive, aggressive shot that Murray played in the set came when he was break-point down at 4-4. He went for the bold move of a second-serve ace down the middle of the court, and it worked. But that was on his serve. When rallies developed, Murray was totally risk-averse, not going for anything. His defensive mindset was odd, considering that he had won his previous three meetings with Cilic, including at this year’s French Open. When Cilic was serving at 4-5, 15-40, Murray had his two set-points. There was not much that Murray could have done with the first one, as he could not get his racket near Cilic’s serve, but he could have been much more proactive at 30-40. A long rally ended when Murray’s backhand landed in the net. Cilic held serve for 5-5. Murray played a horrid game to lose his serve to 15. After the changeover, Cilic took a one-set lead when Murray’s attempted drop-shot landed in the net. The problems multiplied in the second set.

In the first game Murray reached 40-15 on his serve, only to drop his delivery when he came into the net behind his serve and put his forehand-volley wide. Soon he had dropped his serve for a second time, his forehand landing beyond the baseline. Suddenly, having had those two set-points in the first set, Murray was a set and 0-4 down; he had lost seven games in a row. When Cilic served for a two-set lead, Murray had chances to break, but Cilic finished off the set with an ace. Cilic’s first-serve percentage in the second set had been just over 30, yet Murray had come a very distant second. This was extraordinary. “Good return,” he said sarcastically to himself at one stage. Beyond that he showed no great emotional reaction. Once Cilic had broken Murray’s serve in the first game of the third set, he was almost there. In fact, Cilic broke a second time to go 5-2 up, when Murray’s forehand landed at the bottom of the net.

There had not been much emotion from Cilic either during the match, but, after he served it out in the next game, suddenly there was a smile. Andy Murray knocked out of Wimbledon by Grigor Dimitrov - CBBC Newsround Andy Murray knocked out of Wimbledon by Grigor Dimitrov 2 July 2014 Watch the moment Andy Murray was knocked out of Wimbledon Defending champion Andy Murray has been knocked out of Wimbledon in straight sets by Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov. The British number one lost the first set in just 24 minutes and never looked at ease throughout the match. 11th seed Dimitrov is playing the best tennis of his life and dominated Murray throughout, winning 6-1 7-6 (7-4) 6-2. Andy struggled. Dimitrov controlled it. The second-set tie-break was crucial. Andy didn't play at his best today and so there's not too much to analyse Tim Henman, BBC commentator and former British number one It's the second major upset at the tournament in less than 24 hours, after 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios knocked out Rafael Nadal on Tuesday .

Andy simply had no answer to Dimitrov's outstanding strokeplay and couldn't find the aggression that helped him to win Wimbledon last year. Afterwards Andy said: "I felt fine in the warm-up but got off to a bad start, that was the disappointing part. It wasn't good enough. "He played a very solid match, making few mistakes and a lot of returns. I just wish I'd made it tougher for him," he added. Best Grand Slam performance yet Bulgarian Dimitrov is into the semi-final of a Grand Slam event for the first time in his career, and will face number one seed Novak Djokovic on Friday for a place in the final. He said afterwards he was "pretty fortunate" to win the match, and suggested Andy wasn't playing as well as he could early on in the match. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Dimitrov is unbeaten in 10 matches on grass "As soon as we were warming up, I said his game wasn't at the highest level, while at the same time I felt confident," he said. The two are good friends off the court and Grigor said "it's tough" to be playing a good friend in such a big match.

Wimbledon: Andy Murray earns straight sets victory over John Millman to reach fourth round | The Independent Tennis Wimbledon: Andy Murray earns straight sets victory over John Millman to reach fourth round Scot progressed with 6-3 7-5 6-2 win and is now favourite to win tournament for a second time Saturday 2 July 2016 17:05 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Andy Murray eased past his Australian opponent on Saturday afternoon Getty Andy Murray can be guaranteed to take one match at a time over the next week but there is no escaping the fact that the world No 2 has become the clear favourite to win Wimbledon. While Murray was easing to a 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 third-round victory over Australia’s John Millman on Centre Court, the Scot’s greatest rival, Novak Djokovic, was beaten by Sam Querrey on Court One in the most unexpected Grand Slam result of the year so far. Murray will next play either Nick Kyrgios or Feliciano Lopez.

The Australian and the Spaniard will resume their third-round match on Sunday after play was halted because of fading light shortly after 9pm on Saturday with the score at one set apiece. While Murray is seen by the bookmakers as the man to beat over the next eight days, the Scot insists that Djokovic’s defeat will have no impact on his thinking. “If I was to reach the final, then it may have some bearing, but it doesn’t right now,” he said. “My draw’s still exactly the same. The matches, in the next round especially, are tough. Nick and Feli are both very, very good grass-court players. Djokovic sensationally knocked out by Querrey “The bookies don’t always get it right. They made a few mistakes over the last few weeks across a number of different things. Your job is to go out there and try to win the matches that are there in front of you.” With Rafael Nadal absent because of injury and Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka out of the tournament, Murray and Roger Federer are the only two top-five players left in the men’s singles.

Murray is through to the last 16 of his 22nd Grand Slam tournament in succession after his 49th Wimbledon victory took him one clear of the total of wins enjoyed at the All England Club by his coach, Ivan Lendl. “I think I’m playing well,” Murray said. “Some of the tennis I played at the end of the matches, in particular the third sets of both the last two matches, has been very good.” Andy Murray and Roger Federer are the only survivors from the top five players in the men's draw (Getty) On another day of frequent breaks for rain Murray might have been grateful that his match was staged on Centre Court, but it was not without its interruptions. With the sun shining at the start the roof was left open, but the players had to leave the court because of rain after the first point of the second set. When they returned it started raining again within two points of the resumption, which prompted the closure of the roof for the rest of the match. As has become customary on the second Saturday here, the Royal Box was full of major sporting figures, including members of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team.

They could only have been impressed by Murray’s performance as the Scot went about his work in convincing fashion. Murray had won all 17 of his previous Grand Slam matches against Australians and from the moment he broke Millman at the first attempt that run never looked like ending. The world No 67, who was appearing in the third round here for the first time, had his moments, especially when he broke serve as Murray served for the second set at 5-4, but for the most part the Scot was simply too good for him. Millman, who had lost his only previous meeting with Murray three years ago in his home city of Brisbane, went 3-0 down in just seven minutes and lost the first set 26 minutes later. However, the Australian fared better after the rain breaks at the start of the second set as the contest became much closer. Murray failed to take two set points when Millman served at 5-3 and was broken two games later. That came after a change of ends at 5-4 during which the crowd roared when Djokovic’s result was flashed up on the scoreboard. The Scot admitted afterwards that the news of the world No 1’s defeat had registered with him.

“Obviously if you see a result or hear the fans, then you think about it,” he said. “That’s natural. That's what everyone does. You don’t just not see what’s going on and you think about it. But it wasn’t something that was going through my mind for more than 10 or 15 seconds.” Having broken serve to level at 5-5, Millman had to defend five break-points in the following game and finally cracked, giving Murray the chance to serve out for the set. At the second time of asking he made no mistake. With the finishing line in sight Murray took control of the deciding set by winning the first four games. The Scot served out for victory with an ace. Murray said afterwards that he still intends to play in Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final in Belgrade against Serbia later this month, despite Djokovic revealing that he would miss the tie following his defeat to Querrey. Read more Wimbledon: Roger Federer continues to see off home hopes with ease “My plan is to play, but I also need to see how things go at the end of this event,” Murray said. “It has been a long few months for me already.

I’ve played more matches in these last few months in this period than I ever have in my career. “I need to just assess how I’m feeling at the end of the event - and hopefully I can go a long way here. That’s what my target is. Then hopefully I pull up fine from the grass season. But I’m not basing my decision on Novak. I want to play in the tie. If I’m physically fit, I’ll be there.” As for Djokovic’s defeat, Murray said: “Rather than it being a surprise, what he’s actually done should really be almost celebrated now. It’s incredible. He broke a number of records, winning all four Slams and 30 consecutive Grand Slam matches. It’s amazing. Obviously I would imagine today he’d be disappointed, but looking back, it’s been probably the best 12 months in tennis for years.” More about: WIMBLEDON 2009: Andy Murray loses to Andy Roddick in four sets in Centre Court semi-final | Daily Mail Online comments History will likely be made tomorrow at Wimbledon, but it will speak of Roger Federer and Pete Sampras rather than of Andy Murray and Fred Perry.

If the Scot is to do something extraordinary in what would have been the 100th year of Perry's life it will have to be at the US Open in America, homeland of the man who brilliantly knocked him out of Wimbledon's semi-finals yesterday. Andy Roddick played magnificently to end the dream of an occasionally tentative Murray, winning 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 in three hours and seven minutes. Frustration: Roddick provided a huge test for Murray Next for the American is his nemesis Federer, while Murray will reflect on the lessons of a crazed fortnight, and its conclusion against a player who served with awesome consistency and played with remarkable touch around the net on his well-judged forward forays. If tennis is meant to be a conversation then Roddick might usually be termed a shouter, what with his giant serve. But yesterday he was controlled and articulate from first to last. Once the crushing disappointment has fallen away Murray will look at this tournament as part of his overall career trajectory, and how he has improved on his performance of last year, as he improved at the Australian and French Opens.

Airborne Andy: the athletic Roddick dives full length in a bid to return a Murray shot But he will have regrets, too, such as a 52 per cent service percentage, which was 10 points below where it should have been. This was meant to be about his returns against Roddick's serve, but the other way round was equally relevant. Then there was the odd crucial juncture in the tiebreaks, particularly on his one set point at 6-5. Murray got his return back successfully, but in the ensuing rally it was his opponent's controlled aggression that paid off while he appeared to wait for a mistake. Of the top players, Murray's recent tiebreak record is second only to Roddick, who had the advantage of being more battle-hardened in the shootouts from the previous rounds. Match stats: Murray v Roddick Already in the tournament he had come through six, winning five, while Murray had been restricted to just one, which he lost in the first round to Robert Kendrick. The shattering conclusion came in the second of these yesterday, when the Scot found his opponent's serve too hot to handle and went down 7-5 when he hit a final backhand into the net.

It is taking some big performances to knock him out of Grand Slams - Fernando Verdasco in Melbourne, Fernando Gonzalez in Paris - and he will curse the fact that another came along yesterday when the draw suggested he had avoided the worst. He had met Roddick at Wimbledon before, in 2006, when Murray won in straight sets just hours after England had been knocked out of football's World Cup by Portugal. Rather ironic, really, given how Murray's casual jokes on that particular subject have stuck to him so stubbornly ever since. Master blaster: Roddick hits a powerful return to Murray The emptiness of the Royal Box for the opening games was enough to make a class warrior out of anyone, but there was little to choose between the players in the first exchanges until the American broke to take the first set. As a noted front-runner this was a worrying development, but Murray's response was dramatic. He got off to an electrifying start in the second, hitting two winning forehands and a backhand to break immediately. But he was missing half his first serves, which is always inviting trouble, let alone when your opponent is seeing it like a beach ball.

Inconsistent: Murray's first serve accuracy was below par at 52 per cent Two break points were forced in the first game of the third, but after that the American's level shot up again, and in the fourth game, on a fourth break point, Murray sent a forehand long to go 3-1 down. There then followed something that has died out of the Murray repertoire, a code violation for an audible obscenity. He appeared to shout 'Hit it! Pass!', which French umpire Pascal Maria interpreted as referring to his rear end. See you next year: Murray waves goodbye to the crowd after losing Murray pleaded his innocence, a useful outlet for the frustration caused primarily by Roddick playing so solidly from the baseline, all backed up by landing three out of every four first serves in. Far from this being all about Murray's neutralising returns it was the American taking a toll on his rival's serve. But just when he looked set to clinch the third, having broken for 3-1, the Scot struck back. He broke to 15 then moved into a tiebreak, a situation in which he would fancy himself against most.

Yet Roddick's confidence in these is sky high and it showed, the American finding greater aggression when it mattered most, his nerve admirably holding on the one set point that could have put the home player in sight of the final. Before that missed set point you had a sense of the pressure Murray was under when he fluffed a simple putaway forehand. At 7-7 the British No 1, too often rooted behind the baseline, badly shanked another, possibly a result of not getting down due to the strain in his right thigh. The set was then surrendered with a tentative forehand into the net. Passing his driving test might be one activity in his upcoming holiday. He might find it easier to pass than he did Andy Roddick yesterday.

Wimbledon: Milos Raonic on to next round, Eugenie Bouchard exits - CBC Sports - Tennis Wimbledon: Milos Raonic on to next round, Eugenie Bouchard exits Defending champion Djokovic loses in major upset The Canadian Press Posted: Jul 02, 2016 12:15 PM ET Last Updated: Jul 02, 2016 6:00 PM ET Milos Raonic advances to Wimbledon's fourth round 1:00 Andy Murray coasts into fourth round at Wimbledon 0:30 Related Stories WOMEN'S RESULTS: Wimbledon Canada's Milos Raonic defeated American Jack Sock 7-6, 6-4, 7-6 on Saturday in the third round of Wimbledon. Raonic's victory came just minutes after fellow Canadian Eugenie Bouchard was bounced from the tournament by Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 6-3, in the third round of the women's singles tournament. Wimbledon: Women's results The sixth-seeded Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., will play David Goffin in the fourth round of the Grand Slam tournament.

Raonic relied heavily on his big serve, getting 27 aces to Sock's nine. He has beaten the 27th seeded Sock eight straight times. Raonic improves to 22-5 in tiebreaks this year. He won two tiebreaks in his 3rd round match against Sock. Bouchard, from Westmount, Que., was dismissed quickly by Cibulkova in one hour 26 minutes. "I definitely feel like I wasn't on top of my game today and she definitely was," said Bouchard, who smashed her racket in frustration at one point in the match. "I have to give credit to my opponent. She's playing at a high level in general right now and she was really going for it and really taking it to me. "At some points I felt like I didn't have an answer." Defending champ Djokovic ousted ​Novak Djokovic's 30-match Grand Slam winning streak ended stunningly Saturday with a 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5) loss to Sam Querrey in Wimbledon's third round.

Djokovic had won the past four major titles in a row — and was halfway to the first calendar-year Grand Slam for a man since Rod Laver in 1969. "I believe in positive things in life, and I managed to win four Grand Slams in a row — two different seasons, though. I want to try to focus on that," the No. 1-seeded Djokovic said, "rather than failure." Djokovic last exited as early as the third round at any major tournament all the way back in 2009, when he departed the French Open at that stage. He made at least the semifinals at Wimbledon every year since 2010. Yet things began looking bleak for Djokovic when the match began Friday and he dropped the first two sets against Querrey, an American ranked 41st.

Djokovic, normally so consistent, so efficient, never quite seemed to be himself, and after the match, asked whether he was 100 per cent healthy, the 29-year-old Serb replied: "Not really, but it's not the place and time to talk about it." Still, after play was halted Friday evening by rain — a recurring theme in this contest and the tournament as a whole — Djokovic came back out Saturday and played much better at the outset. "He's on his way to possibly being the best ever," Querrey said, "and so you know he's mentally tough and he was going to come back." Eugenie Bouchard loses cool as she is eliminated from Wimbledon0:51 Djokovic took the third set, then went up a break in the fourth at 5-4 by pounding a forehand winner that brought coach Boris Becker to his feet. But serving to even the match at two sets apiece, Djokovic faltered. That game included two calls against Djokovic which, according to the BBC broadcast, were incorrect — but he was out of challenges and so couldn't ask for a review.

Querrey, 0 for 6 on break points in the set until then, converted No. 7 when Djokovic's poor forehand volley found the net for 5-all. After Querrey held for 6-5, Saturday's third rain delay arrived. When they resumed, Djokovic got to a tiebreaker, which he led 3-1. But Querrey hung in there, and a stray forehand by the big favourite sailed wide to end it. "He overpowered me," Djokovic said. Andy Murray advances Sam Querrey stuns Novak Djokovic in third round at Wimbledon0:50 Andy Murray made his way into the fourth round at Wimbledon by beating John Millman of Australia 6-3, 7-5, 6-2. Murray, the 2013 champion at the All England Club, played his match on Centre Court, starting with the roof open but finishing with it closed after a rain delay. Murray has lost to Novak Djokovic in the finals of both the Australian Open and French Open this year. With Djokovic losing Saturday, the second-seeded Murray could face seven-time champion Roger Federer in the final.

Kvitova loses in second round Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova lost Saturday at the All England Club. The 10th-seeded Czech player lost to Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the final second-round match of the tournament. Kvitova and Makarova started the match on Friday, but rain suspended play. After several delays on Saturday, Makarova was finally able to close out the match and the second round. Kvitova won the Wimbledon title in 2011 and `14. Makarova's best showing at Wimbledon was a quarterfinal appearance in 2014. With files from the Associated Press Andy Murray beats Stanislas Wawrinka to reach Wimbledon quarter-final | Sport | The Guardian Andy Murray beats Stanislas Wawrinka to reach Wimbledon quarter-final • Murray wins 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 under roof • Juan Carlos Ferrero the next challenge for Scot Andy Murray celebrates victory against Stanislas Wawrinka to advance to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.

Photograph: Sean Dempsey/PA Andy Murray beats Stanislas Wawrinka to reach Wimbledon quarter-final • Murray wins 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 under roof • Juan Carlos Ferrero the next challenge for Scot Monday 29 June 2009 19.07 EDT First published on Monday 29 June 2009 19.07 EDT Share on Messenger Close Andy Murray collapsed to his knees on the Centre Court as if the new roof had fallen in on him. It very nearly did. He reached his second successive Wimbledon quarter-final with a dramatic 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory, lasting three minutes short of four hours, over Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka. So for the second year running he will play a Spaniard for a place in his first Wimbledon semi-final.

But this time it is not Rafael Nadal, rather the unseeded Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 French Open champion, who many believed had been put out to grass, but who has discovered a new lease of life on the surface. Murray beat him in the semi-finals of the Aegon Championships at Queen's on the way to that title, and will be reasonably confident of repeating that victory again, depending on how muchtonight's win took out of him both physically and emotionally. "I was getting very tired towards the end, and will try to recover as best I can," said Murray, whose mother, Judy, and his girlfriend, Kim Sears, hugged each other joyously when this fourth round match finished at 10.39pm, making Wimbledon history by becoming the first full match to be played indoors. The All England club's insistence that BBC television would not hold sway over any decision to close the new multi-million pound roof were placed under immediate doubt when, on a perfect summer's evening, it remained solidly shut from the beginning, having been closed during the previous women's fourth round match between Dinara safin and Amelie Mauresmo.

The club claimed there were showers in the vicinity and that, with the match starting late at 6.41pm, it would ensure a finish. Nevertheless there were mutterings of duplicity. "It was great," said Murray immediately afterwards. "Always when you play indoors the atmosphere is great." But later he was much more critical of the decision. There is no doubt that floodlit tennis was thoroughly enjoyed by the 15,000 fans, though all the talk of Wimbledon's open air traditions being maintained seem to have been dispensed with at the first available opportunity. Certainly the roof amplified the huge cheer that greeted Murray's entrance, though Wawrinka was clearly not the least unnerved. He was up on his toes like a boxer, running to the baseline in the style of Nadal just before the match began. The Swiss player had emphasised the need to be ultra-aggressive against Murray and he was true to his word. Clearly he was seeing the ball wonderfully well. "I thought Stan played a great match, and the standard he set in the first set was very tough," said Murray. The first set had not developed at all in the way Murray had wanted or the Centre Court crowd had expected.

Wawrinka, ranked No 18 in the world, 15 place below Murray, seemed as if he had been watching Bruce Springsteen at Glastonbury and decided he could be the Boss too. This was Wawrinka at his most authoritative. He has always had a wonderful topspin backhand, but now the forehand was struck with tremendous depth and he also served particularly well. The first set was over in 34 minutes, leaving Murray stretching his jaw, a common mannerism, as he attempted to calm himself down and increase his levels of concentration. Wawrinka has a poor record over top five players. Murray, a good friend of the Swiss, knew this well enough. Nevertheless he was unable to gather any sort of rhythm initially, and danger signs were there again in second set. Wawrinka, straining for the break that might have been crucial, missed a killer forehand by a whisker. It was a crucial error, not the last, which Murray exploited. At 4-3 the Swiss called for the trainer and had his left thigh massaged, a practise that is frowned upon by many in the game.

Murray, aware of his opponent's fragile temperament, increased the tempo and urged the crowd to increase their support. The response was intense, just at it had been at this stage last year when Murray came back from two sets down against Richard Gasquet of France. He broke Wawrinka for a 5-3 lead and clinched the second set with an ace. Wawrinka again put pressure on Murray towards the middle of the third set, and once again Murray shrugged it off to take the lead. There was an understandable easing of tension, and perhaps Murray was caught up in it. An errant forehand prevented him from taking a 5-3 lead in the fourth set, and suddenly the match swung back in Wawrinka's favour. Murray squandered a 3-0 final set lead, but on wearying legs he prevailed. Ultimately it was Murray's will, competitiveness, and desire that swayed the course of a thoroughly compelling contest. This was not bravura Murray; it was battling Murray. And another step nearer the final, though how long the All England Club can now resist scheduled early evening-night matches must be doubtful. The pressure is on, though nothing like the pressure Murray will come under this week.

• This article was amended on 30 June 2009. Andy Murray was quoted in the original as saying: "I thought Stanislas played a great match." This has been corrected. Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic sensationally knocked out by Sam Querrey in third round | The Independent Tennis Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic sensationally knocked out by Sam Querrey in third round The reigning SW19 champion and no 1 seed went down 6-7 1-6 6-3 6-7 after a rain-affected match Saturday 2 July 2016 16:06 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Djokovic was beaten three sets to one by the world no 41 in a massive shock on Saturday afternoon Donald Trump to be sued by woman who accused him of sexual assault Novak Djokovic’s hold on all four of the sport’s Grand Slam titles was finally broken in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Few would have guessed that Sam Querrey would be the man to end Djokovic’s run of 30 successive victories in Grand Slam matches, especially here at the All England Club, where the world No 1 was attempting to win for the third year in a row, but the big-serving American did just that. In winning their third-round match 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6, Querrey inflicted Djokovic’s earliest defeat at a Grand Slam tournament since 2009. Having been saved by the rain on Friday evening, when play was called off for the day after he had lost the first two sets, Djokovic was unable to capitalise on the reprieve. Although he won the third set when the match resumed, he still looked ill at ease out on Court One, where the match was regularly disrupted by rain. There were suggestions that the 29-year-old Serb was suffering with a shoulder problem.

Djokovic, who said after the match that he would not be playing in Serbia’s forthcoming Davis Cup tie against Britain, did not want to go into any details about his physical condition but when asked if he was 100 per cent fit, he replied: “Not really, but this is not the place and time to talk about it.” Middle Sunday at Wimbledon sells out in half an hour The statistics certainly suggested that the Serb was indeed having some physical difficulties. His average serving speeds – 112 mph on first serve and 93mph on second – were down on his normal figures and the 15 break points he faced in the match were not what you would have expected against an opponent ranked No 41 in the world. His earliest defeat at Wimbledon since 2008 leaves Andy Murray as the favourite to win the title, especially after the Scot reached the fourth round with his third successive straight-sets victory as he beat John Millman 6-3, 7-5, 6-2. The world No 3, Roger Federer, who is also through to the last 16, is the highest ranked player left in the top half of the draw.

Querrey, who won the title at Queen’s Club six years ago, is a decent performer on grass, where his big serve can be particularly effective, but there was little in the 28-year-old American’s recent form to suggest that he would be a threat to a player who has won this title three times and has dominated men’s tennis in recent years. “It’s incredible, especially to do it at Wimbledon, the biggest tournament in the world,” the world No 41 said afterwards. “I am so ecstatic right now, so happy.” Djokovic, who had won eight of his previous nine meetings with Querrey, has won 11 of the last 22 Grand Slam tournaments and was aiming to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold the first three legs of the calendar-year Grand Slam.. He insisted that the enormity of what he had achieved by winning last month’s French Open – where he became the eighth player to win a “career Grand Slam” and the first for 47 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time – had not taken too much out of him mentally.

Djokovic had come back from two sets down to beat another big server, Kevin Anderson, in the fourth round last year in a match that also took two days to complete, but at no stage in this match did he look at his best. Querrey, in contrast, rose to the occasion and served particularly well, using his 6ft 6in frame to hit some huge serves, especially when Djokovic had break points. The world No 1 had looked decidedly off-colour on Friday, when he lost the second set in just 22 minutes, but when they resumed just after midday he looked more like his old self. He quickly reeled off the first four games of the third set, only for rain to start falling again. Read more Wimbledon: Roger Federer continues to see off home hopes with ease When they returned nearly two hours later Djokovic looked less assured. He was broken when he served for the set at 5-1 before completing the job at the second attempt two games later. In the fourth set the momentum tipped one way and then the other. Both players successfully defended break points before Querrey dropped serve at 4-4.

However, the American hit back immediately as Djokovic, serving for the set, netted a volley on break point. The set had been interrupted by a brief rain break at 1-1 and a longer interruption followed after Querrey held serve to go 6-5 up. The two men returned to the court an hour later, upon which Djokovic held serve to force a tie-break. Djokovic went 2-0 up in the tie-break, but Querrey held firm. Trailing 2-3, the American won a 22-shot rally – the longest of the match – on the next point. At 4-5 Djokovic hit a forehand long. 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. “I played the break points really well,” Querrey said afterwards. “Every time he had a break point I was able to come up with a big serve. And in the end I just fought the tie-break and got a couple of loose errors and that was it.” The American said he had slept well on Friday night.

“I’m a pretty relaxed guy,” he said. “I had an easy dinner at the house. My parents are there, some friends, my girlfriend. We just kind of hung out.” Djokovic said he had been overpowered. “Sam played a terrific match,” the Serb said. “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. “I knew that it was not going to be easy to break his serve. If he's on a roll, as he was, it's really hard to read his serve. He hits his spots really well. Whenever he had a chance from the rally, he was going for the shots. Most of them were going in. He was just going for it.” Djokovic did not complain about the scheduling but admitted that he felt less comfortable on Court One than he does on Centre Court. “I play 90 per cent of my matches on Centre Court and 10 per cent on the other court. Obviously, naturally I'm going to feel better on the Centre Court.” He also refused to blame the weather, insisting it was the same for both men.

Having confirmed that he would not play in Serbia’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Britain in Belgrade, which begins in 13 days’ time, Djokovic was asked whether next month’s Olympics would be his next competitive appearance. “We'll see,” he said. “I have to think about it.” Asked how he would deal with the disappointment of his defeat, Djokovic said: “Thankfully I have a family and I have a life outside of tennis. I have plenty of things to look forward to. I'm going to obviously pay more attention to those things than tennis in the next period. I need it. It's been a very successful year so far, but a very long one, an exhausting one, in every sense of that word. I just need some rest.” More about:

Question: In which round of Wimbledon in 2009 was Andy Murray knocked out?
Answer: Semi Final