Who stands to gain from Djokovic’s early Wimbledon loss?


As the saying goes, “one man’s loss is another man’s gain.” Will this be the case for perennial favorites Roger Federer and Andy Murray after the surprise early loss of defending champion Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon this year?

The world number one suffered his earliest defeat in a Grand Slam since 2009 to Sam Querrey of United States 6-7, 1-6, 6-3, 6-7. This is Djokovic’s first loss at a major final since the 2015 French Open.

Querrey led by 2 sets to love during Friday’s match before it was postponed due to rain. Pundits were sure that Djokovic can stage a comeback on Friday as was the case last year where the Serb clawed his way back to defeat Kevin Anderson in the fourth round at the All England Club. He’ll go on to win his third Wimbledon title (d. Federer).

However, that wasn’t the case this time. Though Djokovic managed to win the third set, he just wasn’t able to win just enough points to subdue to ever-determined Querrey to force a fifth. The American emerged the victor to secure the biggest victory of his career.

The loss is significant to his rivals. Roger Federer, a seven-time champion, is projected to meet Djokovic in the semifinals this year. This could very well open the gate for the Swiss Maestro to reach the final for the third straight year. Federer is gunning for a record-extending 18th Grand Slam title but has come up short in the past two years – losing in the final on both occasions to Djokovic.

Playing online slots can very well be the better option than picking Federer to win Wimbledon this year. Federer has been dealing with a number of injuries that derailed his campaign during the first half of the season – not to mention undergoing a surgery. His back problems forced him to skip much of the claycourt season including the French Open.

Federer’s grasscourt season seemed promising, though not up to his usual standards. He reached back to back semifinals in Stuttgart and Halle.

At the other side of the draw, Andy Murray is cruising easily and will face tougher opposition in the latter part of the tournament. As of this writing, Murray will face Nick Kyrgios of Australia for a place in the quarterfinals.

Murray is the favorite to win his home tournament, having done the deed back in 2013. However, he lost in straight sets to Federer in last year’s semifinal. The British star still is the favorite to win this year since he’s had a fantastic warmup with a title victory at the Queen’s Club. He’s reached two consecutive Grand Slam finals this year – Australian and French Open – both lost to Djokovic. With Djokovic gone, Murray has the best chance to go one round further to win at The All England Club.