Tennis: Djokovic Into US Open Last Four

Defending champion Novak Djokovic is through to the US Open semi-finals after a knee injury forced Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to quit when trailing 6-3, 6-2.

Djokovic, 29, has completed just two of five matches in New York, benefiting from a walkover and two retirements.

He will face another Frenchman in the last four after Gael Monfils beat compatriot Lucas Pouille 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

“This was the scenario that I needed and I wished for,” said Djokovic, who has faced his own health issues.

The Serbian world number one arrived at Flushing Meadows nursing injuries to both his left wrist and right elbow.

“I got a lot of days off and recovered my body,” he said. “Right now I’m feeling very close to the peak. That’s the position where I want to be.”

Monfils is through to the second Grand Slam semi-final of his career

Pouille made 44 unforced errors as the five-set win over Rafael Nadal appeared to take its toll on the 22-year-old.

Monfils maintained his momentum either side of a 15-minute rain delay to seal his first Grand Slam semi-final appearance since the 2008 French Open.

“It’s a court I love,” he told the New York crowd. “I always say that the French is my home, but this one is my second.”

Monfils, 30, has yet to drop a set in five matches at Flushing Meadows.

Second seed Andy Murray takes on Kei Nishikori on Wednesday, before Juan Martin del Potro and Stan Wawrinka play the last of the quarter-finals.

In the women’s draw on Tuesday, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-0, 6-2 in another match marred by injury, with the Latvian severely hampered by a twisted ankle.

Wozniacki won easily to set up a semi-final against German second seed Angelique Kerber, who beat Italy’s Roberta Vinci 7-5, 6-0.

BBC

Tennis: Djokovic Into US Open Last Four

Tennis US Open 2016: Djokovic Into Last 8, Nadal Out

World number one Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarter finals of the 2016 US Open with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 fourth-round win over world number 84 Kyle Edmund of Great Britain.

However, two-time champion Rafael Nadal lost in a sensational last-16 match to France’s Lucas Pouille.

The 22-year-old recovered from a break down in the fifth before converting his fourth match point in the tie-break to win 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6).

Pouille who claimed the biggest win of his career will play compatriot Gael Monfils, who beat Marcos Baghdatis.

The defeat means that 2016 is the first year since 2004 in which Nadal, 30, has failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final.

Djokovic who is seeking his 13th Grand Slam title will play France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last eight.

Elsewhere Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, also of France, ended American interest in the men’s singles by beating Jack Sock.

His win gave France three men’s quarter-finalists at the American Grand Slam tournament for the first time in 89 years.

Tennis US Open 2016: Djokovic Into Last 8, Nadal Out

Rio 2016 : Djokovic Left in Tears as he Crashes Out of the Olympics

Top seed Novak Djokovic was beaten in the first round of the Olympic men’s singles by Juan Martin del Potro.

The Serb, who lost to Del Potro in the bronze-medal play-off at London 2012, was again overpowered by the Argentine, who won 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2).

The world number one, 29, was in tears as he left the court after the match, which lasted two and a half hours.

“This is one of the toughest losses in my career,” said Djokovic, who was trying to win his first Olympic title.

Djokovic became the first man for 47 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles by winning the French Open in June.

He suffered a shock third-round loss to American Sam Querrey at Wimbledon but won his 30th Masters title in Toronto last week.

“It’s not easy to handle, especially now, just after the wounds are still fresh,” he added after failing to improve on the bronze he won at the 2008 Olympics.

“But you have to deal with it. It’s not the first or the last time that I have lost a tennis match. But the Olympic Games, yeah, it’s completely different.”

Del Potro will face Portugal’s Joao Sousa in the second round on Monday.

The 27-year-old, a former US Open winner, has dropped to 141st in the world after two years of injury problems but did not face a single break point on his serve against the 12-time Grand Slam champion.

“It was a wonderful evening from the beginning,” said Del Potro.

“After all the effort I’ve put in to get back to playing tennis, I’ve defeated the number one. It was a dream night.”

Source :BBC

Rio 2016 : Djokovic Left in Tears as he Crashes Out of the Olympics

Djokovic Back On Track With Rogers Cup Win

World number one Novak Djokovic won his first title since his surprise exit from Wimbledon with a straight-sets win over Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

Djokovic won 6-3, 7-5 in a largely commanding performance.

The 29-year-old, who has now won seven titles this year, has beaten the Japanese on nine successive occasions.

Djokovic, who was beaten in the third round at Wimbledon by Sam Querrey, will represent Serbia at the Rio Olympics.

“I don’t need to explain that every athlete dreams of being a part of the Olympic Games,” he said. “I’m competing in singles and doubles.

“Hopefully I’ll get at least one medal.”

BBC

Djokovic Back On Track With Rogers Cup Win

Djokovic Makes Wining Start To Wimbledon Title Defence

World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic beat Briton James Ward 6-0 7-6 6-4 in the first round of Wimbledon.

Djokovic, 29, searching for his fourth SW19 title, took the first nine games but Ward fought back in the second set.

“James was serving with a lot of precision and it was not easy to break his serve,” Djokovic told BBC Sport.

The Serb is seeking a calendar Grand Slam having already won the Australian and French Open titles in 2016.

The 28th seed Sam Querrey was involved in a three-hour-21-minute opening-round match against Czech Lukas Rosol, which the American eventually won 12-10 in the final set.

Querrey had lost the first two sets on tie-breaks but won the next two 6-4 6-2 to force the epic decider.

It was nowhere near the record set by John Isner and Nicolas Mahut in 2010, won 70-68 in the final set by Isner after 11 hours and five minutes of play over three days.

Kyle Edmund was the first Briton to be knocked out on day one of Wimbledon after a straight-sets defeat by France’s Adrian Mannarino.

The British number three, 21, lost 6-2 7-5 6-4 in two hours and two minutes to the world number 55.

BBC 

 

 

 

Djokovic Makes Wining Start To Wimbledon Title Defence

Tennis Great Applauds Djokovic After Roland Garros Triumph

Australian tennis great Rod Laver has wished Novak Djokovic luck in matching his feat of securing all four Grand Slams in a calendar year, a day after the Serb secured ownership of all four of the sport’s major titles.

With his triumph at the Roland Garros, Djokovic became the first man since Laver in 1969, and only the third in the history of tennis, to hold the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles at the same time.

Laver, now 77, did it twice and both times inside a calendar year for the Grand Slam, an achievement Djokovic can match with titles at Wimbledon and the US Open later this season.

Djokovic said after his victory over Andy Murray that the feat, perhaps even augmented by an Olympic gold medal for the Golden Grand Slam, was possible and Laver was backing him all the way.

“Congratulations Novak on a great effort in winning all four major titles,” Laver said in a brief video posted on the Australian Open Twitter account.

“And I just wish you all the best in the future with your matches in Wimbledon and the US Open.”

Laver, who was unable to play most of the majors between his Grand Slams in 1962 and 1969 because he had turned professional, said in May that Djokovic and Roger Federer should be considered the greatest players of all time.

Tennis Great Applauds Djokovic After Roland Garros Triumph

Murray To Play Djokovic In French Open Final

Andy Murray has become the first British player to reach the final at Roland Garros for 79 years

Andy Murray powered into a 10th career Grand Slam final and a first at the French Open with a brilliant 6-4 6-2 4-6 6-2 win over defending champion Stan Wawrinka.

The world number two has moved through the gears in Paris after a couple of early five-set marathons, but he continued his fine form by ending Wawrinka’s hopes of repeating his 2015 success in the French capital.

Murray will face Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final after the world number one came through his semi-final with Dominic Thiem for the loss of just seven games – and it will be a seventh Grand Slam final meeting between the pair, Djokovic winning four of the previous six.

Stan Wawrinka’s defence of his French Open title ended after semi-final defeat

Wawrinka had been in inspired form and came into the match on the back of a 12-match winning streak at the French Open and had an early chance to break Murray in the Scot’s opening service game, but after an epic battle Murray held before breaking the Swiss in the third game.

Murray went on to close out the first set 6-4 before an inspired second set gave him a 2-0 lead in the match.

Wawrinka improved in the third set and struck in the 10th game for the only break to take the match into a fourth set.

But Murray started in ruthless fashion, breaking his opponent in the opening game before going on to close out the set with a dominant performance on his own serve to become Britain’s first French Open finalist since Bunny Austin in 1937 and set up yet another final date with Djokovic.

SKYSPORTS

Murray To Play Djokovic In French Open Final

Novak Djokovic Into French Open Semis

Novak Djokovic remains on a collision course with Andy Murray for the final

Novak Djokovic has progressed into the semi-finals of the French Open after eliminating Tomas Berdych in straight sets.

The 6-3 7-5 6-3 quarter-final win means Djokovic will meet either Dominic Thiem or David Goffin in the final four, with Andy Murray playing Stan Wawrinka in the other semi.

The world No 1 was never truly troubled by Berdych and marched into the last four having dropped just one set, to last-16 opponent Roberto Bautista Agut, en route.

Tomas Berdych was frustrated by the rain delay

He raced through the opening set and, even when confronted by resistance at 5-5 in the second, the Serb broke at the crucial time to avoid a tie-break.

Berdych broke as the third set began but Djokovic immediately replied with his own, before the match was briefly suspended due to rain at 3-3. No sooner had they returned, Djokovic broke to go 5-3 ahead before serving out the match.

Thursday’s result edges Djokovic one step closer to challenging for the only Grand Slam that still eludes him.

Should he finally lift the Roland Garros trophy, Djokovic would be the simultaneous champion of all four Grand Slams.

In beating Berdych, Djokovic extends his winning record to 24-2 in their career head-to-head.

Novak Djokovic Into French Open Semis