Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic sensationally knocked out by Sam Querrey in third round

The reigning SW19 champion and no 1 seed went down 6-7 1-6 6-3 6-7 after a rain-affected match

Novak Djokovic’s hold on all four of the sport’s Grand Slam titles was finally broken in the most unlikely of circumstances. Few would have guessed that Sam Querrey would be the man to end Djokovic’s run of 30 successive victories in Grand Slam matches, especially here at the All England Club, where the world No 1 was attempting to win for the third year in a row, but the big-serving American did just that. In winning their third-round match 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6, Querrey inflicted Djokovic’s earliest defeat at a Grand Slam tournament since 2009.

Having been saved by the rain on Friday evening, when play was called off for the day after he had lost the first two sets, Djokovic was unable to capitalise on the reprieve. Although he won the third set when the match resumed, he still looked ill at ease out on Court One, where the match was regularly disrupted by rain.

There were suggestions that the 29-year-old Serb was suffering with a shoulder problem. Djokovic, who said after the match that he would not be playing in Serbia’s forthcoming Davis Cup tie against Britain, did not want to go into any details about his physical condition but when asked if he was 100 per cent fit, he replied: “Not really, but this is not the place and time to talk about it.”

The statistics certainly suggested that the Serb was indeed having some physical difficulties. His average serving speeds – 112 mph on first serve and 93mph on second – were down on his normal figures and the 15 break points he faced in the match were not what you would have expected against an opponent ranked No 41 in the world.

His earliest defeat at Wimbledon since 2008 leaves Andy Murray as the favourite to win the title, especially after the Scot reached the fourth round with his third successive straight-sets victory as he beat John Millman 6-3, 7-5, 6-2. The world No 3, Roger Federer, who is also through to the last 16, is the highest ranked player left in the top half of the draw.

Querrey, who won the title at Queen’s Club six years ago, is a decent performer on grass, where his big serve can be particularly effective, but there was little in the 28-year-old American’s recent form to suggest that he would be a threat to a player who has won this title three times and has dominated men’s tennis in recent years.

“It’s incredible, especially to do it at Wimbledon, the biggest tournament in the world,” the world No 41 said afterwards. “I am so ecstatic right now, so happy.”

Djokovic, who had won eight of his previous nine meetings with Querrey, has won 11 of the last 22 Grand Slam tournaments and was aiming to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold the first three legs of the calendar-year Grand Slam..

He insisted that the enormity of what he had achieved by winning last month’s French Open – where he became the eighth player to win a “career Grand Slam” and the first for 47 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time – had not taken too much out of him mentally.

Djokovic had come back from two sets down to beat another big server, Kevin Anderson, in the fourth round last year in a match that also took two days to complete, but at no stage in this match did he look at his best. Querrey, in contrast, rose to the occasion and served particularly well, using his 6ft 6in frame to hit some huge serves, especially when Djokovic had break points.

The world No 1 had looked decidedly off-colour on Friday, when he lost the second set in just 22 minutes, but when they resumed just after midday he looked more like his old self. He quickly reeled off the first four games of the third set, only for rain to start falling again.

When they returned nearly two hours later Djokovic looked less assured. He was broken when he served for the set at 5-1 before completing the job at the second attempt two games later.

In the fourth set the momentum tipped one way and then the other. Both players successfully defended break points before Querrey dropped serve at 4-4. However, the American hit back immediately as Djokovic, serving for the set, netted a volley on break point.

The set had been interrupted by a brief rain break at 1-1 and a longer interruption followed after Querrey held serve to go 6-5 up. The two men returned to the court an hour later, upon which Djokovic held serve to force a tie-break.

Djokovic went 2-0 up in the tie-break, but Querrey held firm. Trailing 2-3, the American won a 22-shot rally – the longest of the match – on the next point. At 4-5 Djokovic hit a forehand long. The Serb saved a first match point with an ace but on the second he put a forehand wide, upon which Querrey leapt into the air in celebration.

“I played the break points really well,” Querrey said afterwards. “Every time he had a break point I was able to come up with a big serve. And in the end I just fought the tie-break and got a couple of loose errors and that was it.”

The American said he had slept well on Friday night. “I’m a pretty relaxed guy,” he said. “I had an easy dinner at the house. My parents are there, some friends, my girlfriend. We just kind of hung out.”

Djokovic said he had been overpowered. “Sam played a terrific match,” the Serb said. “He served very well, as he usually does. I think that part of his game was brutal today. He made a lot of free points with the first serve.

“I knew that it was not going to be easy to break his serve. If he's on a roll, as he was, it's really hard to read his serve. He hits his spots really well. Whenever he had a chance from the rally, he was going for the shots. Most of them were going in. He was just going for it.”

Djokovic did not complain about the scheduling but admitted that he felt less comfortable on Court One than he does on Centre Court. “I play 90 per cent of my matches on Centre Court and 10 per cent on the other court. Obviously, naturally I'm going to feel better on the Centre Court.” He also refused to blame the weather, insisting it was the same for both men.

Having confirmed that he would not play in Serbia’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Britain in Belgrade, which begins in 13 days’ time, Djokovic was asked whether next month’s Olympics would be his next competitive appearance. “We'll see,” he said. “I have to think about it.”

Asked how he would deal with the disappointment of his defeat, Djokovic said: “Thankfully I have a family and I have a life outside of tennis. I have plenty of things to look forward to. I'm going to obviously pay more attention to those things than tennis in the next period. I need it. It's been a very successful year so far, but a very long one, an exhausting one, in every sense of that word. I just need some rest.”