By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Novak Djokovic rallied from a one-set, 0-3 deficit storming past Alexandr Dolgopolov, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-0, to set up a Miami quarterfinal with David Ferrer.
Photo credit: @MiamiOpen
Alexandr Dolgoplov transformed the purple Crandon Park court into a dog run.
For a set and a half, Novak Djokovic couldn't shake the leash.
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Signs of turbulence surrounded the reigning Miami Open champion. Djokovic belted a ball into the stands, spiked his racquet incurring a point penalty, threw up his hands in frustration at the net-cord winners his opponent created off of crazy spins and generally looked cranky and weary.
Staring down a one-set, 0-3 deficit, Djokovic was one point from falling into a 0-4 sink hole.
He could have gone away. Instead, he dug in and delivered.
Locking down the baseline, the world No. 1 refused to miss. Djokovic reeled off 13 of the final 15 games storming to a 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-0 victory that sent him into a Miami Open quarterfinal clash with David Ferrer.
It wasn't easy. It wasn't pretty. But it was a spirited effort from the Serbian, who was battling both his frustration and the world No. 65's frenzied first-strike style—losing on both fronts—before saving a critical break point to seize command.
"I felt just it wasn't my kind of a day today," Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. "Just on the warm up the entire day was one of those days where you don't feel so great mentally. But I fought. I fought my way through. I was frustrated.
"I was, say, losing my composure in the first set, because I didn't feel good. So I was just trying to find a way to comeback in the match. He was playing well. He has avery unorthodox game, tricky opponent, mixes u pthe pace, and can easily get you out of the rhythm. That's what he has done."
Dolgopolov took treatment for both feet after the second set and spent the third looking both hobbled and haunted by a moment that passed.
A ruthless Djokovic dished out a bagel in the decider and narrowly missed a golden set winning 24 of the last 27 points.
"I got tight, and then, [for a] set and a half he was a better player," Djokovic said. "It was just believing more, and I was just kind of hanging in there, fighting a different battle inside of myself, I would say. That was the biggest battle that I fought today. Yeah, just came back in the right moment and found a way to win. That's a positive that I can take out of this match."
The unpredictable Ukranian is an airborne avenger of a shot-maker who shows little conscience on court. He'll miss a mind-numbing drop shot from a few feet behind the baseline than hurl himself into an electrifying forehand drive down the line.
That quality— combined with eye-popping speed around the court— can make him exhilarating to watch and exasperating to play.
Djokovic slammed his racquet in frustration after netting a forehand to donate the break and a 5-4 first-set lead. Despite the point penalty to start the 10th game, he broke back for 5-all.
Attacking to open the tie break, Dolgopolov got a break when his forehand volley stuck on the tape and fell over. He took that opening mini-break and ran with it, extending his lead to 4-0. Launching his body into his service motion as if flying in from Fort Lauderdale, Dolgpolov cranked a 132 mph serve for a 6-1 lead. When Djokovic's return missed the mark, Dolgopolov, who had only taken one set from the Serbian in three prior losses, collected the opener.
The match turned with Djokovic down 0-3, break point. One of the longest exchanges ensued and ended with Dolgopolov finding net. Djokovic survived holding for 1-3.
Cracking shots into the corners, Djokovic drained the error for break point. Working his forehand crosscourt, Djokovic drew a netted forehand, breaking for 3-4 as coach Boris Becker popped out of his seat in a show of support.
Pushed into defensive positions, Dologopolov slapped forehand into net to face triple break point. Djokovic pasted a backhand return on the line, pounded his next shot into the opposite corner and when Dolgopolov's running replay failed to hurdle the net, Djokovic broke at love with a clenched fist for 6-5.
The four-time tournament champion quickly served out the set. Dolgopolov took a double injury time-out for treatment on both of his feet, losing the bounce of confidence in his step.
When play resumed, Djokovic put his foot down. He scored his second straight love break for a 1-0 lead in the decider. Dolgopolov, who had mixed his whiplash slice backhand with the flying slingshot forehand down the line beautifully at times, sputtered. One of the fastest players in the game grimaced as Djokovic broke again for 3-0.
Losing his legs, Dolgopolov had no hopes of winning the match. Djokovic wrapped up the win in one hour, 58 minutes receiving a hearty fist-pump from coach Becker in the process.
Continuing his quest for a fifth Key Biscayne championship, Djokovic was both funny and philosophical in his most-match presser, saying calming his mind keyed his comeback.
"[I] just try to get to the state of mind where I have a serene, controlled mind and emotions and where I'm able to just be in the present moment," Djokovic said. "That's where I was focusing on. That's, for most of the time, what I tried to, I would say, reach in the moments when I'm losing, when I'm down, when I don't feel great. It's usually the not the game itself, but your own battle that you have inside all these obstacles and challenges on the way that you have to overcome in order to get back. Of course, the experience of having this situation, organizing my life, has helped to overcome this situation as well."