Novak Djokovic will arrive at the U.S. Open having not won a match since Wimbledon.
Djokovic lost to Thiago Agustin Tirante 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a two-hour and 44-minute, energy-sapping battle in the Cincinnati Open second round on Saturday afternoon. The 39-year-old looked down and almost out physically throughout the second — but even when he raised his level in the third, it was not enough to hold off a red-hot Tirante.
Although the hot conditions were nothing out of the ordinary for Cincinnati, Djokovic was frequently hunched over between points. He took a medical timeout in the second set that lasted almost 10 minutes for an extended evaluation followed by three-minute treatment. The 24-time Grand Slam champion seemed to steady himself en route to a 4-4 deadlock in the decider, but Tirante’s second break of the match sealed Djokovic’s fate.
The Argentine promptly served the match out to love at 5-4.
“I think this is the best win of my career,” Tirante said. “I think I really did a good job inside the court. I managed very well the nerves of playing against a legend like Novak. Now I feel relieved, because it is all so much pressure when you cannot break [serve]. I had so many points to break and I couldn’t, so that was the key — keep believing in myself with my team and think about it after the match.”
The world No. 50 will face Martin Landaluce in the third round on Monday.
nice one, Thiago