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The first upset of the Miami tournament has been the defeat of world number two Novak Djokovic by world number 59 Olivier Rochus 6-2, 6-7, 6-4. Rochus came within 2 points of making the match a straight sets upset but ultimately took the match 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 from the Serbian who’s been struggling with his serve of late. Novak served 10 double faults and had his serve broken 6 times.
The pint sized Rochus (1.67m) battled the elements and the numbers after 1 hour of rain delay and 3 hours of play to out run and out play Novak, with the Serb again citing exhaustion. Novak has had a long history of breathing problems, and can often be seen in hotter environments desperately trying to get air in, but with him constantly citing exhaustion (mental or physical), and saying he had adjusted his schedule to peak for Grand Slams, one has to wonder why he’s so tired if he’s properly prepared and organized his schedule.
Either way Novak’s going to be losing a few points after being runner up at the tournament last year. He will, however, maintain his number 2 spot.
“He made me run a lot, the points were long, I’m exhausted, he was playing really well today. He deserved the win. He was motivated to win against a top player and had nothing to lose. He coped well. I didn’t feel great on the court and everyone could see. Life goes on. I’ll try to make up for this loss. I wasn’t attacking, I was waiting for him to make shots. It wasn’t the right approach.” – Novak Djokovic
Has there ever been a greater fall from grace than that of Lance Armstrong? Doubtful.
