Such was the manner of Novak Djokovic’s capitulation against Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals of the French Open yesterday that John McEnroe, a man who has just about seen it all during his time as a player and commentator, could barely believe what he was witnessing on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
The shock that reverberated around Roland Garros was not from Thiem, the 23-year-old Austrian who has reached new heights on the clay this year, defeating Djokovic 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-0, but from the way in which the Serb tamely relinquished the title he had worked so hard to win for the first time last year.
In a final set lasting 20 minutes, Djokovic won eight points, prompting accusations that he had given up. It was the first time that he had suffered the ignominy of a “bagel” set at a grand-slam event since the 2005 US Open. “This is tank city,” McEnroe, commentating for Eurosport, said.
“It’s almost as if you can’t believe what you’re watching, and in a match of this magnitude. It looks like right now that he doesn’t want to be on the court.”
The defeat means that Djokovic will head to Wimbledon in a few weeks outside of the world’s top two for the first time in six years. There was talk during a candid and open press conference afterwards of the 30-year-old perhaps adding a grass-court warm-up event to his preparations for the All England Club, but then he also refused to rule out the possibility of taking a break from the sport.
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World rankings in March 2011 - last time Djokovic was outside top two
“Trust me, I’m thinking about many things, especially in the last couple of months,” Djokovic said. “I’m just trying to sense what’s the best thing for me now. Obviously there has been a lot of changes with the team and so forth. [I’m] So excited to work with Andre [Agassi] and the new team. At the same time, I have responsibility to the game itself, towards others.
“We’ll see. Obviously it’s not an easy decision to make, but I will see how I feel, anyway, after Roland Garros and then decide what to do next.”
Djokovic bristled at the suggestion that he was missing the presence of Agassi, his new coach, who left Roland Garros at the weekend. “Don’t put Andre in the midst of this,” he said. “This final set, of course, that’s all me.”
Thiem was magnificent, his kick serve and one-handed backhand proving a deadly combination. It makes for a tantalising semi-final tomorrow with Rafael Nadal, who has dropped just 22 games in five matches here after Spanish compatriot Pablo Carreño Busta retired at 6-2, 2-0 down with an abdominal injury.
