Djokovic beaten Now Edmund eyes world top 20 place
Briton holds nerve in Madrid to see off Serb ‘Kyle was better,’ admits former world No1
Kyle Edmund’s emergence as a world-class player continued in the Madrid Open yesterday, as he added the 12-time major champion Novak Djokovic to his list of scalps.
In terms of ranking, Djokovic is not the highest-flying opponent that Edmund has taken down, as he now stands well below his peak at No12. Yet the Serb will always be one of the game’s greats and he remains highly competitive, as he showed by beating the former US Open finalist Kei Nishikori in Madrid’s first round this week.
Edmund held his nerve superbly towards the end of a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 victory that could have gone either way. The key moment was probably the fifth game of the decider, which found him facing three break points at 40-0 down.
A series of heavy serves helped to bail him out of trouble, and he claimed his own break three games later to set up what could be considered a career-best win. These players had met three times before, and on each occasion Djokovic had strolled through in straight sets. But their trajectories this year are pointing in different directions.
Edmund set up his season brilliantly in January by reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open, and has a 14-7 win-loss record after making his first ATP final in Marrakesh.
Djokovic, by contrast, has been buffeted by physical and mental uncertainty. He underwent surgery on a long-term elbow problem in February and then ended an unsettled 11-month spell with part-time coach Andre Agassi in April. Now reunited with long-term mentor Marian Vajda, he has won only six of the 12 matches he has played thus far in 2018.
“It was a great experience first of all to beat Novak,” Edmund told Sky Sports. “I’ve lost to him three times.
“He’s a legend of the game, so your first match when you share the court is an experience. But now, especially after reaching the semis of the Australian Open, it’s time to try and beat these guys and I was very pleased today how I managed my game, especially in the third set.”
Yesterday’s result is likely to relegate Djokovic to No 18 in the world when the next set of rankings are published on Monday, while Edmund has a strong chance of breaking into the top 20 for the first time. He could end any doubt on this point tomorrow by beating David Goffin, the stylish Belgian. But already, simply by reaching the third round of a Masters 1000 tournament, he has ticked off another first in what has been a season full of breakthroughs.
“After the Australian Open it was a goal of mine to get inside the top 20,” said Edmund.
“You have to set targets and I thought that was a very realistic target, so I’m pleased it’s happened. But you know the way the tennis world works, you reach a target but
it doesn’t stop and you keep trying to get better.”
One of the most obvious differences in Edmund this year is that he is getting the job done more often in the close matches. His winning percentage in deciding sets has climbed from 31 per cent in 2017 to 56 per cent.
There have been setbacks, too, including first-round exits in Miami and Monte Carlo. But even last week in Estoril, where Edmund’s 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 defeat to Joao Sousa in the quarter-finals might have seemed disappointing at the time, he compensated by winning his first ATP doubles title alongside fellow Briton Cameron Norrie.
Throughout yesterday’s match, Edmund was the more aggressive, and he stuck to this approach even after Djokovic’s second-set fightback. He finished with 25 winners, far ahead of his opponent’s eight. And one sign of his recent improvement was that 11 of them came on the backhand side, which has not always been a strength.
“I knew rallying with him and trying to beat him at his own game I wasn’t going to win,” said Edmund. “So, it was important for me to go out there and be expressive.”
Former world No1 Djokovic was gracious in defeat, saying: “Kyle was better in decisive moments. He was courageous to go for his shots.”