Novak Djokovic was seen by a doctor after the first set of his surprise Geneva Open semi-final defeat to Tomas Machac on Friday. The scare and the result don’t bode well for the Serb just days ahead of his French Open first-round meeting with Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Things began to unravel for Djokovic when he spurned a 4-1 lead in the first set, losing five games on the trot as Machac took it 6-4. A visit from the doctor followed as the 37-year-old appeared to be struggling physically on court.
Fears were initially eased when Djokovic came roaring back with a bagel in the next set. But it may have been a case of the tennis veteran emptying the tank as, in the deciding third, Machac dominated to take the match 6-4 0-6 6-1 and make his first ATP Tour final.
It was only the second time in Djokovic’s career that he lost a match in which he won a set 6-0, with the other coming 12 years ago at the Paris Masters. The surprising result and the doctor’s visit came at the worst possible time.
Djokovic will be gunning for more Grand Slam glory at the French Open, which gets underway this weekend. The 24-time major winner has only won three times before at Roland Garros, making it his least successful Grand Slam.
Heading into the clay-court season’s showpiece event anything less than 100 per cent may therefore be an ominous sign for Djokovic, who had looked impressive before his three-set defeat to Machac in Switzerland.
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