DOHA, Qatar — In a stunning turn of events, Novak Djokovic faced a surprising defeat at the hands of Matteo Berrettini, who claimed victory with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-2 during their opening match at the Qatar Open. This encounter marked Djokovic’s first competitive outing since his recent departure from the Australian Open, where he was hampered by a hamstring injury.
The 37-year-old Serbian star, currently ranked No. 7, experienced this setback against Berrettini for the first time in their five head-to-head confrontations. The loss means Djokovic will have to postpone his quest to join tennis legends Jimmy Connors (109 wins) and Roger Federer (103 wins) in the exclusive ATP Tour 100-win club.
Having reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, Djokovic unfortunately had to retire during his pivotal match against Alexander Zverev due to his ongoing hamstring issues.
Despite the disappointment, Djokovic remained optimistic, insisting he felt no “pain or discomfort.”
“Today, I was simply outperformed by a better player,” he reflected post-match. “I didn’t reach my ideal level of play, and perhaps I’m still not moving as fluidly as I would like. However, I competed without any pain, so I have no excuses.”
This victory marked Berrettini’s tenth win over a top-10 player throughout his career, paving the way for his next challenge against Tallon Griekspoor in the upcoming round.
In other matches on Tuesday, the second seed, Alex de Minaur, triumphed over Roman Safiullin with a strong 6-1, 7-5 performance.
