Sam Querrey responds after Novak Djokovic name-dropped him during his Piers Morgan interview

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Novak Djokovic may have won everything there was to win in tennis, but he did not go through his career without a few hiccups.

And, as indicated by the man himself, 2016 marked one of the lowest moments he suffered.

This tough period coincided with a crushing defeat to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon, where the American overcame the 24-time Grand Slam champion in a third round match that lasted two days.

His 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-5) win, which was consistently unsettled by rain delays, was one of the tournament’s biggest upsets at the time, given that Novak Djokovic was the two-time defending champion.

Well, Querrey has now recalled his memories from that day, after the Serbian name-dropped him during his recent interview with Piers Morgan.

Sam Querrey recalls beating Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2016

Speaking on his Nothing Major podcast, the 38-year-old reacted to hearing Djokovic’s frank, honest assessment of his mental state at the time.

Querrey admitted that, whilst he was not aware of the personal struggles his opponent was suffering, he could tell something was wrong.

“When I was playing him in that match, it was over the course of two days,” he began. “It was called off for darkness, and we had rain delays.

“Novak, if you remember from that match, was not dialled in mentally, as we know he can be most of the time. So I knew when I was playing him that something was off, which he mentioned in the Piers Morgan interview.

“Obviously, when I was playing him, I did not know what was going on, but you could tell when we were playing that he was not the normal Novak. There were times when he would try. He would break me or hit a big point and try to engage the crowd to get back into it, but he just could not sustain that normal Novak focus that we all know he had.

“But it was interesting to hear that clip. I didn’t watch the entire interview, but I saw the clip, and I remembered the moment, and I saw that over the course of the two days that he was a little off.

Querrey then used this recollection to make a point about how Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, as well as the Big Three during his era, were not completely unbeatable.

He continued: “That just goes to show that when these top guys like Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Alcaraz, and Sinner aren’t on it, guys ranked five through 50 can beat them, which makes them more impressive that those days rarely happen. They go years and years without having these mental lapses.

“Novak, I’m assuming, had something going on in his personal life, and it definitely showed in those two days.”

What Novak Djokovic said about Sam Querrey on his Piers Morgan interview

Querrey’s claims were in response to what Djokovic said whilst speaking to Morgan earlier this month.

There, he admitted: “My brain had had enough, I needed rest. I lost that match (against Querrey) and I took a break; I skipped a few tournaments. I returned to competition at the US Open. It’s the year Murray finished as world No. 1 by beating me in the final of the Masters at the O2 Arena.”

Djokovic then stated he felt “an emptiness,” before adding: “I didn’t care about finishing first or not. I just wanted to rediscover the love and passion for this sport, because I had lost them.”

Reflecting on the performance back in 2016, he also claimed: “It’s not a place and time to talk about it.”

It is clear that Djokovic was struggling at the time. Tennis should remain hugely thankful that the legendary figure regained his spark, as without him, the sport is a far duller place.

Now, Djokovic’s retirement plans seem secure, and it appears we are guaranteed his presence for at least another few years.