Defending champion Novak Djokovic is out of the French Open following a straight-sets defeat by Dominic Thiem on Wednesday.
The Serbian second seed was second best throughout to powerful-hitting Thiem, losing 6-7 (5-7) 3-6 0-6 in Paris.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the win was the Austrian sixth seed’s first victory over Djokovic and he will now play Rafael Nadal in the last four.
Nadal reached the semi-finals after fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta withdrew from their match with an abdominal injury while trailing 2-6 0-2.
NAN reports that fourth seed Nadal is looking to win a record 10th title at Roland Garros.
He became just the fifth man to reach 10 semi-finals at a single Grand Slam in the Open era.
In 2016, Djokovic won the French Open title to become the first man since 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.
Since then, the 30-year-old has lost in the third round at Wimbledon, suffered defeat in the US Open final, and lost in round two at the Australian Open.
He has now failed to go beyond the last eight in Paris for the first time since 2010.
“In the last couple of tournaments, I have had some great tournaments and it was unfortunate to finish Roland Garros in this way,’’ said Djokovic.
“This is a whole new situation for me, not winning a big tournament for eight or nine months. This hasn’t happened for a while.
“All the top players have gone through that and I guess I have to learn lessons and figure how get through. It is a big challenge, but I’m up for it.’’
The Serb was unable to cope with the power of 23-year-old Thiem, who hit 38 winners in total —- 20 from his dominant forehand —- to Djokovic’s 18.
The match was a total reversal of the last time the two met, when Thiem managed to win just a single game three weeks ago in Rome.
Thiem demonstrated his appetite for the fight in a brutally physical first set lasting 73 minutes, which Djokovic led 4-2.
But a double-fault handed a break back before three terrible backhands gave his opponent the tie-break.
Djokovic’s mental and physical vulnerability was then ruthlessly exposed as Thiem took the second before emphatically sealing the third to love to take the match.
NAN reports that it was the first time Djokovic has lost a set to love at a Grand Slam since the US Open in 2005.(NAN)
BOG/DE/OLAL
============
