Beaten Djokovic in threat to ditch Wimbledon bid
ASHATTERED Novak Djokovic cast doubt over whether he will turn up and play the grass-court season after he was humbled by journeyman Marco Cecchinato in the French Open quarter-finals.
The Sicilian, ranked 72 in the world, became the first Italian man in 40 years to make the last four of a grand slam after a pulsating 6-3, 7-6, 1-6, 7-6 win over the former world No 1.
Cecchinato took an epic second tiebreak 13-11 on his fourth match point, displaying remarkable sangfroid for a man who had never even won a match at a major before this.
Djokovic marched straight off the court and into the media room where, his head still scrambled, he questioned whether he will take part at Wimbledon. Under the circumstances, his words may be taken with a pinch of salt.
‘I don’t know if I’m going to play on grass,’ said Djokovic, who had needed lengthy treatment on a neck problem after dropping the first set. ‘I don’t want to think about anything now. How do I regroup? I don’t know. I’m just not thinking about tennis at the moment.’
Cecchinato, best known prior to this victory for receiving a £35,000 fine for match-fixing that was subsequently quashed, looked to have missed his chance when falling behind in the fourth set.
But Djokovic, showing he is not the ruthless predator of old, let him back in and could not deliver the telling blow in the tiebreak.
The Serb had three set points to take it into a decider but netted at the crucial moments. At 12-11, the Sicilian looped a backhand return up the line, which landed just inside the corner of the lines, sending a rowdy Court Suzanne Lenglen into ecstasy.
The match, which included code violations for illegal coaching, time wasting and a point penalty for the Italian when he left the court without permission, had the winner feeling somewhat bemused.
‘Maybe I’m sleeping,’ said Cecchinato. ‘It’s amazing. It’s unbelievable for me to beat Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final at Roland Garros. I don’t understand nothing. I was so tired but I won the match. For me, it’s the first time in a semi-final of a grand slam and I need some rest for recovery.’
He now faces Austrian Dominic Thiem, who went through after the exertions of three five-set matches caught up with Alexander Zverev. The 21-year-old German’s movement became increasingly hampered by cramp as he went down 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.
‘How close was I to pulling out? I thought about it,’ said a crestfallen Zverev afterwards. ‘I knew I wasn’t going to win the match. There was no way for me, I mean, I could barely move. I couldn’t serve. I couldn’t do anything really.’
There is guaranteed to be an American in the women’s final after Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys made it through to the last four and set up a rematch of the US Open final. Stephens, who triumphed in that one, yesterday defeated Russia’s Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-1 while Keys ousted Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 7-6, 6-4.
Stephens and Keys are believed to have the friendliest rivalry in the game. However, Stephens countered that by insisting: ‘When we get on the court, it’s time to compete.
‘Before that, we are not going to be weird and awkward. Now, I just have to go and find her, because I need to tell her some juicy stuff. I just went and searched for her in the training room. I think everything will be normal. Until we get on the court, we’re the same girls as always.’
Keys vowed to carry on smiling after moving closer to a maiden grand slam title and denied that she is too nice a competitor to win.
‘I have actually been told quite often that I’ll never win or do well because I’m too nice a person and I just don’t have it,’ she said.
‘I think that’s a load of c**p but, you know, it’s just me. I don’t think you have to be mean in order to win matches.’
BRITISH No 2 and top seed Heather Watson suffered a surprise defeat in the Surbiton Trophy when she lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to fellow Briton Gabriella Taylor, ranked 104 places below her.