CINCINNATI.- The Serbian giant Novak Djokovic was eliminated by the Argentine Thiago Tirante this Saturday in its debut in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters 1000.
With visible physical problems and pain, the winner of 24 titles grand slam fell 2-6, 6-4 and 6-4 against a player who this week made his debut in the Top-50 of the ATP.
“Nole”, 39 years old, was one of the great attractions of the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season after the absences due to injury of the world number one, Jannik Sinnerand from Spanish Carlos Alcaraz.
But his presence was short-lived, lasting two hours and 44 minutes of combat on the hard court in Cincinnati.
Now he must concentrate on trying to win, despite his physical limitations, the 25th crown of a great in the US Open from the end of August in New York, the last Grand Slam of the year.
“It’s the best victory of my career, I think I did a good job on the court and I handled my nerves very well playing against a legend like Novak,” celebrated an excited Tirante, 25 years old.
Likewise, the Argentine highlighted the importance of never losing confidence in oneself.
“Now I am relieved, because I had the opportunity to break many times and I couldn’t, but I continued to believe in myself, in myself, in my serve, in my forehand, in my team,” he added.
Problems with the weather
After a very solid first set, “Nole” had a very difficult second set as a result of the heat in the state of Ohio and a physical loss.
He even had to ask for medical assistance when he was winning 2-1 in that set. His team gave him ice massages on both thighs, but when he returned to the court he winced in pain and walked in slow motion.
Tirante broke the Balkan giant’s serve to take a 4-3 lead, then pocketed the lead and extended the game to the agony of his rival.
The South American will face the Spanish promise in the third round Martin Landaluce (67th), 20 years old, who defeated the Italian earlier Matteo Arnaldipast semi-finalist Roland Garros.
