An obfuscated Djokovic falls in Belgrade in front of Karatsev

Novak Djokovic will not play in the final of his tournament. Aslan Karatsev defeated him 7-5, 4-6 and 6-4 in a vibrant match that left at three hours and 25 minutes. The Russian (28th in the world) saved 23 of the 28 break balls that the Serbian had in the ATP 250 that he organizes in his Belgrade club and runs his brother. His rival tomorrow will be Mateo Berrettini, who defeated Taro Daniel in three sets.

The number one had easily beaten the surprising Karatsev in the Australian Open semifinal, but after coming down from a knockout in Monte Carlo, the movie was another. Djokovic, obfuscated by the noises of the spirited stands and the state of the track, was not able to finish off Karatsev in a match that he defined as “very poor”.

“I am leaving disappointed by the painful defeat. Roland Garros is my main goal, but I need to improve if I want to have options. There is a lot of work ahead of me.”, recognized number one. His next stop will be the Mutua Madrid Open, starting next week, where he will coincide with Rafa Nadal.