Andrey Rublev overcame a rapidly fading Novak Djokovic to win his third title of 2022 at the Serbian Open.
Rublev, who had never beaten a world No.1 player in his career until Sunday, held his nerve to prevail 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-0. Becoming the first player to bagel Djokovic on the Tour since Rafael Nadal did so in the final of the 2020 French Open. The Russian maintained his edge in the match by saving eight out of the nine break points he faced as he broke the 20-time Grand Slam winner six times.
“It’s a big honour to play against you, to share a court for the second time,” Rublev said during the trophy presentation.
“I hope to see you for many years, and we will have more battles which I would like.
“I feel so great here in Belgrade. It’s a really nice city. It reminds me of a small Moscow. I really enjoy my time here and to win a title here I feel double special.”
The triumph is a case of sweet revenge for Rublev who lost in straight sets to Djokovic during their first meeting at last year’s ATP Finals in Italy. His latest win in Belgrade is the third time he had won a trophy this season after Dubai and Marseille. He has now won 16 titles so far in his career.
As for Djokovic, it was noticeable that a lack of match play in recent weeks hindered the top seed. Belgrade is only the third tournament he had played this year after missing a series of events due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19. In all three of his previous matches at his home tournament, Djokovic had to come back from a set down to win.
“I apologize because of the way the third set unfolded. It’s an individual sport, when something fails, the engine can’t work,” journalist Sasa Ozmo quoted Djokovic as saying afterwards.
“Lot’s on emotions, thank you (the crowd) for pushing me to the final.”
Djokovic now has a win-loss record of 37-6 when playing on home soil, winning the Serbian Open in 2009 and 2011, as well as last year’s Belgrade Open.
As for Rublev, his run to the title saw him win 43 out of 45 service games played during the entire tournament. It is a much needed boost for the world No.8 who failed to win back-to-back matches in his two previous tournaments in Miami and Indian Wells.
