Paris: Querrey d. Djokovic

Perhaps they should re-think the habit of declaring the year-end No. 1 as soon as a player clinches the honor. Like Victoria Azarenka a few days ago, Novak Djokovic—now assured of the prestigious top ranking for 2012—threw an anti-celebration, losing the first match he played since securing the prize in a somewhat puzzling and occasionally flat performance. He did so at the Paris Masters to Sam Querrey, whose ranking was outside the Top 100 this spring but is now nearing the Top 20 as the year winds down. The score in this somewhat bizarre affair was 0-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4.

I use the adjective “somewhat” because we’ve seen this kind of thing before: One player comes out on fire, blasting winners left and right, while the other plays as if he’s still asleep back at the hotel. But suddenly, it’s as if the leader comprehensively loses concentration, and the next thing you know the tables are turned. The poor schmo who couldn’t find the court for eight or 10 games begins to play like a regular Rod Laver, and then all bets are off.  


Querrey was as pathetic in the first set as Djokovic was effective, the Serb drilling his returns with such vicious, accurate abandon that the American often appeared to be playing golf, not tennis—taking desperate cuts at balls teed up on his shoetops. As for that big Querrey serve, the 6’6” Californian’s major weapon? He won just two first-serve points in the entire first set.  


The slaughter continued during the first few games of the second set. When Querrey finally won his first game for 1-2 in the second, he threw up his arms in triumph while the French fans gave him a rousing cheer. “They’re pretty knowledgeable, those French fans,” one of the Tennis Channel commentators observed.  


I’m not sure how much “knowledge” it took to appreciate and sympathize with poor Sam at that point, but never mind. . .  


Querrey found new life immediately. He broke right back at 30-40 when Djokovic made a backhand error after a brief rally. The next eight games went on serve, with no break points as Querrey dialed in his big serve and began to rely on one of his most noteworthy gifts—an uncanny degree of accuracy combined with surprisingly subtle shot selection and touch for a man so big, while merely whaling on the ball.  


Querry used his booming serve very wisely, going at Djokovic’s body often and successfully. By the end of that string of games, “negative Nole” was in the house; he twisted and jerked his legs and body in self-parody after making awkward shots. He stretched his left leg. He worked his jaw open and close, as if it hurt from Querrey punching it. When Djokovic gets into a funk, he goes so loosey-goosey and casual that it looks as if all his appendages might simply fall off his torso.  


In the tiebreaker, Querrey followed up an excellent service return with a forehand blast that earned him an early mini-break for 2-0. He gave back the advantage with a double fault for 2-3, with his opponent to serve. The points went on serve until Querrey leveled at 5-all with an ace. Then Djokovic made two uncharacteristic errors to surrender the set—the first one to end a rally, and another (forehand) off one of the many let cords that went in Querrey’s favor today. End of set.  


Querrey declared that he wasn’t about to fade in the second game of the third set, when he rained down a pair of aces and two service winners to keep pace with the top seed. The first player to blink after a pair service holds was Djokovic, who fought off one break point in the fifth game, but then hit a double fault and ended a long rally with a backhand error to drop to 2-3.  


Consolidating the break with little trouble, Querrey continued to apply the heat in the next two games, both of which went on serve. He then found himself serving for 5-3, and the daunting nature of the task at hand seemed to get to him. He held the first point, but lost the next three, on pair of errors separated by the comma of a sweet topspin lob winner.

The danger was obvious. Querrey was beginning to play it a little too safe, a bit too defensively—he was playing not to lose it, rather than win it.

Still, Querrey wiped away the two break points with excellent, unpredictable serves, and dispatched a third shortly thereafter with an ace—his 15th. He faced yet another, and hit another ace. Then, from deuce, he clubbed ace No. 17 and ended the game with an artful, off-pace second serve that caught Djokovic utterly by surprise.  


Although Djokovic flared up and raced through his next service game, Querrey had dragged himself over the hump in that critical eighth game. Serving for the match at 5-4, he started with an ace and quickly built a 40-15 lead. He made a backhand error on his first match point, but ended it with a service winner to the backhand.  


Djokovic had entered the arena wearing a black, Darth Vader mask; but on this day he was Darth Fader. Somewhere high in the Swiss Alps, Roger Federer is kicking himself.