Bernard Tomic v Novak Djokovic-2011 Wimbledon QF full summary

Bernard Tomic commenced the quarter-final affair by serving first.  However, after an incredibly long first game, Djokovic brought up the first break point of the match through his solid return game. Djokovic then hit his return into the net to take the first game back to deuce. Djokovic then conjured another break point. The very next point however, was an unbelievably long rally which was won by Tomic being able to move around the baseline anywhere Djokovic seemed to place the ball. After a number of slice from Djokovic, as well as extended rallying, Tomic was able to win the point by making the first move to rush the net and hit a powerful forehand winner in the opposite direction Novak was pivoting to.

The next point, after another extended 22-stroke rally, Tomic mishit a backhand slice wide towards Djokovic’s right side, courtesy of Djokovic cutting the room to plant the ball on his short side. This gave Djokovic the break point- and Novak broke right after this- thanks to a running backhand slice which bounced just over Tomic’s side of the net.Novak the held serve to race out to a 2-love lead, but Tomic displayed an amazing service game completing a love game, where Djokovic did not win any point in this game. This took the score out to 2-1 in the opening set. After the first break, despite some amazing shots from Tomic, the Australian found it difficult to win points off Djokovic. Novak continued to hold serve , while Tomic faltered again to be broken at 4-2. Djokovic continued to hold to serve and raced out to a 6-2 opening set lead.

In the second set, Tomic raced out with yet another love game, with Djokovic failing to win a point this game. This game was then capped off with an ace from Tomic. In Djokovic’s opening service game of the second set, Tomic iced to win the first point with a running forehand up the line. In the next sequence, another error caused Tomic to go up 30-0 on Novak’s serve. However, Djokovic clawed back to win his opening service game- courtesy of an exquisite backhand shot  cross court right into the baseline. Nevertheless, in the 3rd game of the second set Djokovic double-faulted for the first time in the match. Tomic then wins the next point, but breaks Novak Djokovic -courtesy of a series of double faults. Tomic then takes the lead in the second set 2-1.

In the following game, Bernard Tomic completed yet another love game, with Novak failing to win a point in this game. Tomic then rushed up to a commanding 3-1  lead in the second set. In the next game, Djokovic finally nails a first serve for the first time in 6 previous serve attempts this set- with the ace coming in at 15-30 down. Tomic however shows poise to win the next point and conjures up another break point.However, Djokovic saved this break point, and ends up holding on to win this game and bridge the gap to 4-2. Next, after Tomic again held serve, the score now inflated out to 5-2. Now serving to stay in the second set, Djokovic won the first point of this game- before an excellent point from Tomic won the next point.

This was off the back of a well-executed slice from Djokovic which Tomic turned into a inside out forehand up the line. However, Djokovic consolidated and held serve to bridge the gap back to 5-3. With Tomic now serving for the set, he was holding his serve and went up 30-love lead on Djokovic, but a wide cross court forehand to Novak’s backhand from the baseline at 30-0 lent Djokovic an opportunity back in this particular game. In the next point, Djokovic nets to give Bernard Tomic two set points. Tomic then lost this opportunity. However, Tomic took the next point with a forehand up the line that went deep into the furthest corner of the court on the baseline. Djokovic then challenged in the call…but  Hawkeye called Tomic’s ball good, and Tomic won the second set in an emphatic fashion, 6-2.

In the third set, Bernard Tomic broke Djokovic in the opening game of the third set to lead 1-0 with a serve to come- off the back off an incredible get to a Novak Djokovic cross court forehand. Tomic got to this ball with a low two-handed backhand which Novak Djokovic had to pick up from his feet. In attempting to return, Djokovic mishit a one-backhanded pickup which went to the opposite side of the court and landed out. Tomic then held to reach a 3-1 lead in the second set. However, for Tomic his day effectively went downhill from here, blowing a 3-1 lead and a chance to go up to 2 sets to 1 in the Wimbledon quarterfinal. Djokovic took advantage and broke Tomic in his service game, which would have given him the chance to go up 4-2. After holding serve at 3-2, it was now Tomic’s turn to stay level in this match, but was broken in a second time in his next service game, to now be level at 3-3. Djokovic then held serve to go up 4-3, and Tomic was broken again in his next service game. Djokovic now was serving at 5-3 to take the third set, which he did,

In this fourth set, at 4-4, Bernard Tomic won an absolutely unbelievable 31 shot rally, with Tomic making it  from behind even the the middle of the court to get to a Novak Djokovic forehand up the line- which Tomic responded to with a running forehand up the line. Such a blistering shot even made to Novak, who was in the middle of the court, unable to slide to the ball in time, causing him to do a half split and fall to the ground. Djokovic then stayed down and got up and clapped at the immense shot that Tomic pulled off in the circumstance. In the next point, Tomic serve and volleyed out wide and hit his return into the corner after moving towards the net.

Djokovic on the next play then fired off an inside-out forehand on Tomic’s corner of the sideline to bring the game back to deuce. 2 aces then sealed the deal for Tomic to take the lead 5-4 in this set. Serving to stay in the fourth set, Tomic then went up 30-0 on Djokovic’s serve- with the second point being a signature Novak shot where where Djokovic opened out his racquet and went crosscourt with a forehand up the line in the opposite direction of Tomic. This shot, had shades of the forehand shot employed by Roger Federer against Nadal years later in the Australian Open final. This shot was got to by Tomic- No less, and instead of the race to the ball and put back by Nadal straight to Federer to stay in the rally, Tomic went for a dagger of a winner, hitting a running backhand down the line and squeezing the ball right past Djokovic.

However, Djokovic took the challenge seriously and went for all of Tomic’s balls thereafter with clean shotmaking- with Djokovic now closer than ever to breaking Tomic for the first time in his last service game of the set. Tomic then hit the ball long in a rally, and Djokovic broke Tomic and served his way to the semi-final of Wimbledon 2011.