Djokovic upset by Qualifier Kevin Anderson

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP)—Novak Djokovic often bounces the ball more than a dozen times before serving, and the tedious ritual may have cost him a match Friday.

The defending champion at the Sony Ericsson Open went into a funk after being warned for taking too much time between points, then blew a third-set lead to lose his opening match.

Qualifier Kevin Anderson, a 6-foot-7 former NCAA doubles champion at Illinois, beat the third-ranked Djokovic 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4.

Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title at this year’s Australian Open and was coming off a title at Indian Wells last week. But he struggled from the start against Anderson and was rattled by the warning from the chair umpire.

Serving at 2-0 in the third set, Djokovic won the next point after the warning to reach deuce, then lost 13 points in a row. Jeers from the crowd further agitated him, and by the time Djokovic collected himself, Anderson was up a break at 3-2.

“I didn’t focus myself in that moment,” Djokovic said. “But, you know, that’s OK. It’s all part of the game.”

Anderson, a big-serving South African, played for three years at Illinois and won the 2006 NCAA doubles title. He turned pro last year, and the victory was his first over a top-10 player.

“I kept telling myself, ‘I can do this. I’ve just got to believe in myself,”’ said Anderson, ranked No. 122. “Even still, just knowing what he’s done and what a great player he is, to have beaten him is a tremendous experience for me.”