Jurgen Melzer has knocked out Novak Djokovic at the French Open, coming from two sets down to win their quarterfinal match 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-4. Djokovic led 2-0 in the third set before Melzer turned the match around.
The rollercoaster encounter ended with a cliffhanger game, featuring three close calls, two fruitless Melzer dropshots and a nervous volley into the net from the Austrian on the first of his three match points. Djokovic argued heatedly with the umpire when his passing shot at 0-15 was ruled out, but which HawkEye replays on television indicated had been in.
"I mean, for somebody there is a chair umpire and so many years and years experience, and to make such a mistake at that point is unbelievable," said Djokovic afterwards. "I mean, I don't know what was going on with him, but the ball was looking good from everywhere.
On dropping his lead, Djokovic said, "I made a big mistake... I made him come back into the match with my unforced errors, and then he caught the momentum and he was playing really well, especially on his service games.
"I'm very disappointed, obviously, to lose the match that I was in control of totally a set and a break. This is tennis, you know. This is Grand Slams. You always have to play up to the end, because these things happen, especially at this stage of tournament."
Melzer called it "the match of my life," saying, "I felt slow at the beginning... but my body just got kind of loose after two sets to love down... the only thing I told myself, 'It's my first quarterfinals in my life in a Grand Slam. Just don't go away. Just don't make it easy for him. Fight as much as you can.'"