Djokovic retires from Serbia's Davis Cup loss

Serbia's Novak Djokovic retired down a set and 0-3 to Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro in the Davis Cup semifinals on Sunday after aggravating the lower back

Courtney Nguyen|

Serbia's Novak Djokovic retired down a set and 0-3 to Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro in the Davis Cup semifinals on Sunday after aggravating the lower back injury he suffered during the U.S. Open.

On game point for del Potro, Djokovic stretched wide for a forehand and let out a painful scream before falling to the court in tears. The retirement put Argentina through to the final to face host Spain in December. Serbia won the Davis Cup last year, with Djokovic winning both of his singles matches against France in the final at Belgrade Arena.

This is only the third loss for the world No. 1 in 2011 and the second from a retirement. Djokovic retired to Andy Murray in Cincinnati with an injured shoulder, and also lost to Roger Federer in the French Open semifinals.

Published Sep 18, 2011

COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.

Home/Tennis