One in a Millionaire Matchmaker

Go through the list of American men in the ATP Top 100 and you can find something interesting to say about most of them. John Isner won the longest match in the history of tennis. Jack Sock tore up high school before heading to the pros; Steve Johnson was the Jack Sock of college tennis. Taylor Fritz is an intriguing prospect; Donald Young, a prodigy no more, remains an intriguing watch. (At least, I think so.)

For a time, Sam Querrey was the most interesting name on this list. The hard-hitting Californian won his first title as a 20-year-old in Las Vegas; two years later, he won four tournaments across three different surfaces, one being the premier Wimbledon tune-up at Queen’s Club. A giant serve and forehand will zoom on clay, hard and grass courts, and the laid-back young talent was making the most of them. He even earned some hardware in doubles with Isner, whose tag team was affectionately called “Quisner.” After the 2011 Australian Open, in which Querrey took a first-round loss, he reached a career-high ranking of No. 17.

To anyone who’s followed Querrey, and even those that haven’t, that seems like an eternity ago. Now 28, Querrey became the definition of a ceiling player—there was a point in the draw he would inevitably fail to surpass. He was the quintessential subject for an opening-week piece typically written by U.S. reporters at the majors about the early “American surge.” Those pieces are written because the subjects almost certainly won’t playing for much longer.

And, of course, Querrey was on Bravo TV’s “Millionaire Matchmaker,” a show in which the bubbly host plays Cupid for the one-percenter who can’t seem to find “the one.” To spare you the wrath of auto-play ads, you can watch two clips from the show here and here.

Just before the show was to air, the lovesick pro created a hype video:

As recently as two days ago, this was the most interesting thing you could say about Sam Querrey.

But like a child movie star who finally sheds that persona, Querrey has entered a new chapter of his tennis career. It may be a brief chapter, but it will be the most interesting chapter in his tennis story. For Querrey became the first man to beat Novak Djokovic in the last five Grand Slam tournaments, stunning the undisputed world No. 1, 12-time major champion and two-time defending Wimbledon champion, 7-6 (8), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5).

The two biggest names of the first week of this rainy fortnight were Marcus Willis and Sam Querrey. Well played, tennis gods.

Djokovic losing in the third round isn’t as difficult for me to grasp as Querrey besting the Serb at a major tournament. It was a strange match from the start, with Querrey roaring to a two-set lead before rain suspended the conclusion of the match until Saturday. In the second set, Djokovic looked an amateur, hitting balls as carelessly as I’d ever seen from him. The No. 1 Court placement and uncertain playing conditions had a negative effect on Djokovic, but it was no excuse for such lethargic play.

Querrey with a two-set lead, or Djokovic? It was a seemingly easy answer: Djokovic. That’s how little faith most observers had in Querrey to actually finish the job. As if on cue, Djokovic took a 4-0 lead when play resumed (before another rain delay), won the third set and, after a series of exceptional service holds, took a 5-4 lead in the fourth. It took Djokovic 12 break-point opportunities to break Querrey in the fourth set, but he did it, and surely this match had taken the turn towards its inevitable conclusion.

Little did we know that it was winding down to its incomprehensible conclusion. Serving for a fifth set, Djokovic fell behind 0-30—no thanks to Hawk-Eye challenges he didn’t own; the top seed had shots incorrectly called out on both points—and eventually offered Querrey two break points. When Djokovic snuffed out one, it was Querrey’s sixth break-point miss of the set. But he wouldn’t go for 0 for 7. Querrey held his own in baseline rallies all day, and Djokovic seemed a bit uneasy when he came forward to volley his way to deuce. He botched the shot, and it was 5-5. Djokovic’s big chance that he’d worked so hard to create had come and gone.

The sky-high quality of play in the fourth set almost demanded that it be settled in a tiebreak, and that’s where it went. Djokovic took a 3-1 lead, but the issues that had dogged him throughout the stop-and-start contest returned at the worst time. And the biggest issue of all was his 6’6” opponent.

Djokovic, the first tennis player to earn more than $100 million in prize money, had met his match. Bravo, Sam. Bravo.