Jay Paris 8y

Rod Laver 'surprised' Novak Djokovic won't get '16 Grand Slam

Tennis

SAN DIEGO -- Rod Laver's grand accomplishment won't be duplicated for another year, and he's as surprised as anyone.

Since Novak Djokovic lost to Sam Querrey on Saturday in the third round at Wimbledon, Djokovic can't match Laver's run of winning a Grand Slam in a calendar year.

Laver, who was attending the Yankees-Padres game on Saturday night, is the last player to win all four majors in a single calendar year, doing it for the second time in 1969.

The 77-year-old Laver couldn't believe Djokovic stumbled, losing 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5).

"I am still totally surprised that Querrey beat him,'' Laver said. "I still thought he could pull it off.''

Instead the No. 1-ranked Djokovic, who won this year's Australian Open and French Open, was ousted in a match that took two days because of rain delays. Djokovic, the two-time defending Wimbledon champion, needed to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open to join Laver and Don Budge as the only men to claim the calendar-year Grand Slam.

Djokovic won four straight majors, but not in a calendar year.

"He just wasn't himself, something was off,'' Laver said. "I think maybe he felt winning all four titles and being the defending champion of all four was a Grand Slam in his mind.

"And so even if it wasn't in the calendar year, it didn't matter. Way back in there somewhere you are thinking one thing, that it doesn't matter, but you are thinking it does matter. Those are two different thoughts to have when you are playing.''

Laver thought after all these years someone would have joined him and Budge.

"I'm still happy to have the title, but I don't own it,'' Laver said. "I would have liked to have been at the US Open and be the first to shake Djokovic's hand if he did it. Don Budge did that for me in 1962 at Forest Hills.''

What did he say?

"Welcome to an exclusive club,'' Laver said.

It's one that won't admit another member this year.

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