Top athlete Novak Djokovic’s comeback was unexpectedly cut short when Matteo Berrettini defeated him 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 in the second round of the Qatar Open.
Djokovic, who was seeded third and given a first-round bye, was making his return to competition after being forced to retire from his Australian Open semi-final in January because of an injury.
Furthermore, this was only Berrettini’s second victory of the year and his first win over a top-10 player since 2023. It was also the first time he defeated Djokovic. Djokovic had triumphed in their previous meetings, including the 2021 Wimbledon final and the Roland Garros quarter-finals.
After his victory, Berrettini said: “Something I’ve been looking to do for a long time. I’ve played against him in the most important tournaments on tour… I wish I could have won one of those matches.”
He added: “Really happy with my performance… Really happy because I enjoyed my time out there, which is the most important thing.”
Despite battling injuries for the past 18 months, Berrettini claimed three tournament titles after making his comeback to the court last year.
Highlights of the match
The first set remained on serve, but the Italian athlete broke the Serbian’s serve twice to take the tiebreak. Berrettini then secured a break to love in the second game of the second set. Although Djokovic had broken Berrettini 27 times in their previous four matchups, the Italian held his serve with ease until the final game, where he clinched the victory on his second match point.
Berrettini declared: “A champion like Novak is always ready to come back… You don’t have to think about match point. You have to think about the next point, and that’s what I did.”
In a social media post, the athlete said: “The smile says it all!!! What a great night in Doha!!! 💪🐪🔨”
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