- Andrey Rublev has been crowned the Serbia Open champion after beating Novak Djokovic in three sets in the final
- Djokovic missed the Australian Open, the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami and Indian Wells due to his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19
- Rublev now has the same number of tour-level championships as Rafael Nadal in 2022, having won tournaments in Marseille and Dubai
After losing in the final of the Serbia Open against Russia’s Andrey Rublev, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is still without an ATP Tour trophy this season.
Djokovic came back from a set down for the fourth time this week but ran out of steam in the decider, as Rublev won 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-0 in 2hr 29min.
Russia’s Andrey Rublev defeats Novak Djokovic in the Serbia Open finals. Photo; Reuters
Rublev’s victory was his first against a world No. 1 and earned the 24-year-old his third tour-level trophy of the season.
Rublev broke Djokovic’s serve twice in the first set and saved five set points in the second to force a tie-break, but Djokovic stormed to a 5-2 lead and exclaimed joy as he levelled the match.
However, Djokovic’s efforts from earlier in the week seemed to catch up with him, as Rublev broke his opponent’s serve three times in the decider to win without losing a game.
“It is big to play against you and share the court for the second time,” Rublev said to Djokovic during the trophy ceremony.
“I hope we have more battles. I feel so great here; it is a very nice city. It feels really special. I want to say a big thanks to all the spectators for supporting all the players all week. To see full crowds again is special for all of us.”
Rublev now has the same number of tour-level championships as Spaniard Rafael Nadal in 2022, having won tournaments in Marseille and Dubai in February.
With his first win over a World No. 1, the World No. 8 evened up his ATP Head2Head series with Serbian Djokovic at 1-1, avenging his loss at the Nitto ATP Finals last season.
Djokovic was playing in his third tournament of the season, and he was attempting to win his first trophy of the year against Rublev.
Djokovic (left), Andrey Rublev (right). Photo Tennis.com
In three sets, the 34-year-old battled past Laslo Djere, Miomir Kecmanovic, and Karen Khachanov.
He worked his way back into form after losing in the quarterfinals in Dubai and a stunning second-round loss in Monte Carlo to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
However, the top seed’s time on the court versus Rublev eventually caught up with him.
Rublev arrived in Belgrade after losing in the second round and third round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Miami and Monte Carlo.
With heavy-hitting efforts, he eliminated #NextGenATP Czech Jiri Lehecka, Japan’s Taro Daniel, and Italian Fabio Fognini.
Rublev improved his tour-level championship match record to 11-5 with his victory in Sunday’s final, the fourth championship match of the season to feature two Top 10 players.
Djokovic now has a 37-6 record in Serbia, having won the Serbia Open twice in 2009 and 2011 and the Belgrade Open last season.
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