Djokovic propels Serbia past U.S.
Win over Querry puts U.S. in insurmountable 3-1 hole
BOISE – Even an ankle injury couldn’t stop world No. 1 Novak Djokovic from dominating Sam Querrey 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-0 to give Serbia an insurmountable 3-1 lead in this Davis Cup quarterfinal at the Taco Bell Arena on Sunday.
At 1-1, 30-40 and a second breakpoint opportunity on Querrey’s serve, the world No. 1 twisted his right ankle off a forehand and fell to the ground.
Wincing in pain, Djokovic had to be helped courtside. But after having the ankle taped and taking anti-inflammatories, he continued to play. He broke serve on his third breakpoint in that third game.
“I sincerely hope that I didn’t make it worse and I’m going to have a few days off,” Djokovic told the crowd after the match. “I was able to play some good shots at the right time.
“If I wasn’t playing for Serbia, if I didn’t have my teammates’ support, I don’t know if I would’ve played. The first half-hour it was very painful.”
Serbia advanced to a semifinal in September against Canada, which defeated Italy in Vancouver to make its first Davis Cup semifinal.
The other semifinal will pit defending champion Czech Republic against Argentina in the Czech Republic.
“I am very emotional about the win today,” Djokovic said. “It meant a lot to me personally. It meant a lot to the whole team.”
Both teams agreed to abandon playing the fifth match.