Yesterday, Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Australian Open by 117th ranked Denis Istomin. Nobody saw that coming, and the news must have been music to Andy Murray’s ears as he now has a good chance of finally winning the grand slam. Despite the unpredictability of the result, this wasn’t the first time a favourite has been knocked out in the initial rounds. We take a look back at some instances where it has happened before.
Sergiy Stakhovsky Knocks Out Roger Federer
It’s not often that a seven-time champion goes down against a player ranked 116th in the world. But, it happened in the second round of Wimbledon 2013 when Sergiy Stakhovsky defeated Roger Federer 6-7, 7-6, 7-5, 7-6.
Robin Soderling Knocks Out Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal has won the French Open nine times between 2005 and 2014, and can be regarded as the undisputed king of clay. Which is why the whole world was shocked when Robin Soderling defeated him in fourth round of the tournament in 2009. The scoreline read 6-2, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6.
Richard Krajicek Knocks Out Pete Sampras
Like Nadal was the king of clay, Pete Sampras dominated the grass courts of Wimbledon during his hey days. But, that doesn’t mean his record was unblemished. In 1996, Richard Krajicek got the better of Sampras in straight sets in the quarterfinals. Krajicek made full use of his victory and ended up winning the title.
Sam Querrey Knocks Out Novak Djokovic
In last year’s Wimbledon, Sam Querrey played the match of his life to score an unexpected victory against the reigning champion Novak Djokovic in the third round. Querrey didn’t even need five sets to win, and finished the game in four sets with a scoreline that read 7-6, 6-1, 3-6 and 7-6.
Kei Nishikori Knocks Out Andy Murray
Current World No. 1 Andy Murray has had his share of upsets too. Just last year, Murray went down to Kei Nishikori in a nail-biting encounter that stretched to five sets. Murray’s agitated cries bore no fruit as Nishikori won the game 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.
