World No.28 Sam Querrey might have been denied a place in his first grand slam final, but he exits Wimbledon with a fresh burst of confidence surrounding him.
Embarking upon his maiden appearance in a major semi-final, Querrey became the first American man to reach the last-four stage since 2009. His fairytale run was ended by Croatia’s Marin Cilic, who battled to a four sets triumph.
“I played him a handful of times before. Lost a bunch. But he did seem to play at a really high level today.” Querrey said following his defeat.
Regardless of the loss, the 29-year-old is relishing in the current state of his form. Earlier in the tournament he produced wins over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Kevin Anderson. Then on Wednesday he silenced the British crowd by outlasting an ailing Andy Murray. All of those matches went to five sets, but Querrey insists that he felt no fatigued during his semifinal clash.
“On grass, the points aren’t very long. It’s not as physically demanding on your body as it is on the clay courts or the hard courts. I felt fine today.” He explained.
It is the second consecutive year where Querrey has defied the odds at Wimbledon. In 2016 he stunned Novak Djokovic to claim his first ever win over a world No.1 player. In the other three majors, Querrey’s success has been minimal with his best run being to the fourth round on two occasions at the US Open (2008 and 2010).
“I seem to commit to that a little better here on the grass. I think if I just do that at the other slams, I think it will be a little bit better”
Surging in confidence
It is hard not be fond of the American. In 2009 he suffered a career-threatening accident by falling through a glass table, which ended his season early. Still, it had little impact on his mentality and humour. Later that year he attended a Halloween party as a ‘shark attack’ victim to make light of what could have been a very serious injury.
Eight years on, Querrey has achieved his best grand slam result to date. Earlier in the 2017 season he also defeated Rafael Nadal in straight sets to win his 9th ATP title at the Acapulco Open in Mexico. Following his Wimbledon results, the American has already defeated four top-10 players within the same season. An accomplishment he had never done before.
“It’s been a fun run (at Wimbledon). It’s given me some confidence, not only this year, but last year, and in Acapulco earlier this year.” The 29-year-old said.
“I feel like I’ve really had some ups over the last year, and hopefully there are more of those to come as I get a little bit older.”
Complacency is something the American is not pondering. Set to rise to 23rd in the world, Querrey is on the verge is breaking the world’s top-20 for the first time since July 2013. The question is can he play amongst the best in the world on a consistent basis?
“I do feel I can. I feel if I play well, my level is at a high enough point where I can beat those top guys.” He replied when asked.
Although his journey on the tour hasn’t been smooth, Querrey’s belief never waived. Now a grand slam semifinalist, he hopes it will open the door for more success in the future.
The best years may still be to come for 29-year-old Querrey.
