PARIS (AP) – Five months after his first French Open title and completing a career Grand Slam in Paris, Novak Djokovic’s reign over men’s tennis could be about to end in the City of Lights.
Djokovic, a three-time defending champion, lost in the Paris Masters quarterfinals on Friday, leaving his No. 1 ranking open to being snatched by Andy Murray.
The British player can rise from No. 2 to 1 in the ATP list for the first time if he reaches the final. He needs one more win after beating Tomas Berdych 7-6 (9), 7-5. His semifinal opponent will be No. 5 Milos Raonic, who defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 7-6 (4).
Murray was aware of Djokovic’s defeat when he took the court and was sometimes hesitant against Berdych. He rallied from 6-1 down in the tiebreak, and needed four match points to overcome the Czech.
“Before the match there were a few more nerves maybe than there was earlier in the week,” Murray said. “But once I got out there, I didn’t feel any different to any other match. I didn’t play the match differently to how I would have played other matches, which is good. Tomorrow will probably be the same, probably.”