Djokovic’s title defense comes to halt
He’s ousted by sixthseeded Thiem in lopsided fashion
PARIS — His French Open title defense nearing an end, Novak Djokovic stumbled and tumbled to his knees on the red clay, his racket flying from his right hand as his opponent’s backhand zipped past.
Even Djokovic found it hard to fathom how far he’s fallen, only a year removed from leaving Roland Garros as a player nonpareil, the first man in nearly a half-century to win four consecutive Grand Slam titles.
That he departed this time with a surprisingly lopsided 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-0 quarterfinal loss to sixthseeded Dominic Thiem of Austria on Wednesday left everyone, including Djokovic, pondering the answers to difficult questions.
Did he give up in the last set? What has happened to his once-impervious play? Can he summon that again? Does he need a break from the grind of the tour?
“It’s a fact that I’m not playing close to my best, and I know that,” Djokovic said after his first straightset loss at a major since the 2013 Wimbledon final. “For me, it’s a whole new situation that I’m facing.”
Since completing his career Grand Slam at the French Open 12 months ago, Djokovic has participated in four majors in a row without earning a trophy. He also lost his No. 1 ranking to Andy Murray.
Djokovic was runner-up at the U.S. Open but lost in the third round at Wimbledon, the first round at the Rio Olympics and the second round at the Australian Open.
“The win here last year has brought a lot of different emotions. Obviously, it was a thrill and complete fulfillment, I guess,” Djokovic said during an expansive and frank news conference. “I have lived on that wave of excitement, I guess, ‘til the U.S. Open or so. And at the U.S. Open, I just was emotionally very flat and found myself in a situation that I hadn’t faced before in (my) professional tennis career.”
The 23-year-old Thiem next faces nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who advanced when No. 20 Pablo Carreno Busta stopped while trailing 6-2, 2-0 after injuring an abdominal muscle late in the first set.
In the other semifinal, 2016 runner-up Murray will face 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka in a matchup of three-time major title winners. Murray eliminated No. 8 Kei Nishikori 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (0), 6-1 on Wednesday, while No. 3 Wawrinka won 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 against No. 7 Marin Cilic.
Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova reached the women’s semifinals. Halep came all the way back from a set and 5-1 down in the second to defeat Elina Svitolina 3-6, 7-6 (6), 60. Pliskova beat Caroline Garcia 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Trailing by a set and n two breaks in the quarterfinals, just one game from defeat, Halep was not exactly full of positive thoughts during a changeover before her opponent tried to serve out the victory.
“I said that the match is lost. … That’s it. It’s over,” the Romanian recalled. “And then I started to feel more relaxed, maybe because I thought it’s finished.”
Well, it worked. Halep came all the way back to beat Svitolina, saving a match point en route to reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros for the second time.
Halep, the 2014 runnerup, was a point from losing while down 6-5 in the tiebreaker but came up with a backhand winner down the line to extend the match.
She didn’t even know how dire things were at that moment. Only later, while checking Twitter, did Halep find out what the score was.
“I was like, ‘(It) was match point for her?’” Halep said. “I didn’t realize during the match.”
On Thursday, she will face Pliskova.