World No 1 Novak Djokovic remains without an ATP Tour title this season after losing to Andrey Rublev in the final of the Serbia Open!
Andrey Rublev has outperformed the first racket of the world, Serbia’s first-seeded Novak Djokovic to win the tournament of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in Belgrade on Sunday.
The match ended with 6:2, 6:7 (4:7), 6:0 in the favor of second-seeded Rublev. This is Rublev’s 11th title in his career.
It was Rublev’s first win over a world No 1 and gives the 24-year-old a third tour-level title of the season – equalling the tally of Rafael Nadal – following previous victories in Marseille and Dubai in February.
After the match, Djokovic congratulated Rublev on his victory, adding that it was a “great pleasure” to play and made no secret of his physical decline in the match.
Rublev said Djokovic was the “greatest player of all time” and wished to have “many more battles against him”.
Rublev, who is currently ranked the world’s No 8 male tennis player, adds another 250 ATP ranking points to his name.
Roger Federer set to return to action at Laver Cup in London
Roger Federer set to to play Laver Cup followed by Basel with Rafael Nadal ready for his return in Madrid.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion has been sidelined since losing in the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July last year, announcing the following month he had undergone more knee surgery.
Federer admitted last November he would be “extremely surprised” if he returned to the All England Club this year in an attempt to win a record ninth men’s singles crown and it now appears almost certain he will miss out.
After not staging the event in 2020 and 2021, Basel returns to the calendar this year as it is scheduled to take place between October 24-30. Federer will return as the defending champion.
We expect hot games this year!
