tennisnet.com ATP

ATP Belgrade: sensation! Novak Djokovic is defeated by Aslan Karatsev in marathon match

Novak Djokovic was completely surprisingly eliminated in the semifinals of the ATP 250 tournament in Belgrade. The world number one was defeated by Aslan Karatsev in the longest match of the year in three sets.

by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Apr 24, 2021, 08:49 pm

Novak Djokovic went to the Belgrade ATP 250 tournament as a big favorite
© Getty Images
Novak Djokovic lost to Aslan Karatsev in the semifinals

On the way to the semi-finals of his home tournament in Belgrade, Novak Djokovic had only given eight games in his first two games and the 33-year-old also didn't seem to have any problems against Aslan Karatsev at first. The world number one quickly took the lead 3-0, but after that he completely broke the thread.

Karatsev missed the first set at the score of 5: 4, but it worked in the second attempt. It was 7: 5 after 70 minutes of play from the point of view of the world number 28, who, however, quickly fell behind with a break in the second round.

But again Djokovic could not keep this lead for long, instead the 18-time Grand Slam champion fell 2: 4 behind after losing four games in a row. But as so often in his career, the Serb pulled his head out of the loop and secured the second section 6: 4 thanks to some incredible blows.

Djokovic misses third title in Belgrade

In the third set both players missed numerous chances before Karatsev managed the decisive break to 4: 3. Two games later, Djokovic fended off a match point on his own serve, but despite some problems the Russian served one game to the biggest victory of his career: 7: 5, 4: 6 and 6: 4 after 3:25 hours of play - The game was therefore also the longest of the current calendar year - from the 28-year-old's point of view.

Karatsev will now face Matteo Berrettini or Taro Daniel in the final. Djokovic, who only used five of his 28 breakballs in the entire encounter, missed his third home triumph in Belgrade.

Here the single tableau in Belgrade

by Nikolaus Fink

Saturday
Apr 24, 2021, 08:46 pm
last edit: Apr 24, 2021, 08:49 pm