There will be no Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic showdown in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open.
Capitalizing on an obvious off night by Federer while also delivering the performance of his career, John Millman stunned the 20-time major champion 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7), 7-6(3) on Monday night. Millman, a 55th-ranked Aussie, battled back from a set and 5-4 deficit–with Federer serving for a two-set lead–to triumph after three hours and 35 minutes.
Highlights:
Federer talks about the loss:
To say this was a shocking result would be a gross understatement. Even though Federer has more off days at 37 years old than he used to, no one could have seen this particular loss coming. The Swiss was coming off a runner-up finish in Cincinnati and he had not lost a single set through three rounds in New York. Millman, meanwhile, was 0-10 lifetime against top-10 opponents and he had been struggling of late with a 2-4 match record in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
“You know, that’s a great thing about tennis; that’s the great thing about sport,” Millman said afterward. “There’s always upsets that can happen.”
“(It) was just one of those nights where I guess I felt I couldn’t get air,” Federer said of the conditions. “There was no circulation at all. I don’t know, for some reason I just struggled in the conditions tonight. It’s one of the first times it’s happened to me. Yeah, it’s uncomfortable. Clearly just keep on sweating more and more and more and more as the match goes on. You lose energy as it goes by.
“But John was able to deal with it better. He maybe comes from one of the most humid places on earth–Brisbane. I knew I was in for a tough one. Maybe when you feel like that, as well, you start missing chances, and I had those. That was disappointing.”
Millman’s draw does not get any easier, as Djokovic is next for the underdog in the quarterfinals. Djokovic defeated Joao Sousa 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 on Monday afternoon.
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