Tennis

Novak Djokovic's quest to defend his French Open title has hit a roadblock after he suffered a disappointing loss in the Geneva Open semifinals. The 44th-ranked Tomas Machac stunned the world's top-ranked player 6-4, 0-6, 6-1, leaving Djokovic with doubts about his form heading into Roland Garros.Djokovic's record in 2024 has been far from impressive, with a 14-6 overall record and a 0-3 mark in semifinals, including a defeat to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open. The Serb admitted that he is not the favorite for the French Open, where he has won two of the past three titles and three overall among his record 24 Grand Slam singles titles."I don't consider myself a favorite there," Djokovic said. "I'm going to take it match by match and see how far I can go."Machac, a 22-year-old Czech, played with confidence and aggression, breaking Djokovic's serve five times and forcing him into 27 unforced errors. Djokovic took a medical timeout after the first set for a stomach issue, but it did not seem to affect his performance significantly."It was a terrible feeling with my stomach and health today," Djokovic said. "It was not a great night and today as well. I don't want to take anything away from his win, he deserved it."Machac will face two-time Geneva champion Casper Ruud or unseeded Flavio Cobolli in the final. Ruud, the French Open runner-up for the past two years, is considered a strong contender for the title this year.Djokovic's loss in Geneva raises questions about his form and fitness ahead of the French Open. The Serb has not won a tournament since Wimbledon last year and has struggled to find his best tennis in 2024. He will need to improve his consistency and reduce his unforced errors if he wants to challenge for the title in Paris.

India's top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal's hopes of a deep run at the Geneva Open were dashed in the first round as he succumbed to a fighting defeat against Argentina's Sebastian Baez. The world no. 94 went down 6-7 (7) 3-6 to the Argentine, a clay court specialist, in a match that lasted one hour and 52 minutes.Nagal started the match brightly, taking an early 4-1 lead over Baez and even earning a set point. However, the world no. 19 Baez, who has already won two titles on clay this season, showcased his class to force a tiebreaker, thanks to his exceptional first serve performance.In the second set, Baez continued to rely on his superb first serve, wrapping up the proceedings in just 38 minutes. Nagal, who has qualified for the upcoming French Open, expressed his disappointment on Twitter after the loss: "Gutted with the loss today. But good preparation ahead of Roland Garros. Paris next."Despite the setback, Nagal's performance in Geneva provides valuable preparation for the French Open, where he will be aiming to make a strong showing. The Indian ace has been in impressive form this season, reaching the semifinals of the ATP Challenger event in Bengaluru and the quarterfinals of the ATP Challenger event in Ostrava.Baez, on the other hand, continues his impressive run on clay this season. The Argentine has won two ATP Challenger titles on the surface and reached the semifinals of the ATP 250 event in Cordoba. He will be looking to carry his momentum into the French Open, where he will be aiming to make a deep run.