Novak Djokovic suffered a stunning first-round exit at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Tuesday, falling to Italy's Matteo Berrettini in straight sets.
The Serbian star was defeated 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the last 32, further delaying his quest for a 100th career ATP Tour title.
Berrettini dominated proceedings, claiming the opening set through a one-sided tie-break before breaking Djokovic twice in the second set.
The result marks Berrettini's first victory over a top-10 opponent since January 2023, ending Djokovic's perfect record against the Italian.
Novak Djokovic suffered an early exit at the Qatar Open
Reuters
Berrettini, who was named ATP's Comeback Player of the Year in 2024, expressed satisfaction with his performance after returning from a six-month injury layoff.
"I worked really hard to be back here, to be back at this level," said the Italian player.
"I knew my level was high. I just needed matches and matches like this."
"All the hard work that I've been putting in the last months, in the last days, it worked pretty well today. So I'm really happy with my performance.
"I'm really happy because I enjoyed my time out there, which is the most important thing."
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The Italian will now face Tallon Griekspoor in the next round.
The defeat marked Djokovic's first competitive appearance since retiring from his Australian Open semi-final due to a leg injury.
It was also his first opening-round loss since the 2022 ATP Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo.
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Italy's Matteo Berrettini managed a straight sets win over Novak Djokovic
Reuters
The result came as a significant upset in the newly upgraded ATP 500 tournament, where other top seeds found success.
Second seed Alex de Minaur progressed to the second round after defeating Roman Safiullin 6-1 7-5, while Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev also secured victories in their respective matches.
Amid the tournament disappointment, Djokovic confirmed he will continue his coaching partnership with Andy Murray for the foreseeable future.
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Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini embraced after the match
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"We had a chat the day after I finished [the Australian Open] - we reflected on the period we spent together," Djokovic told ATP Tour media.
The Serbian expressed his desire to maintain the collaboration, which Murray accepted after consulting with his family.
"It is indefinite in terms of how long we are going to work together, but we agreed most likely in the States and some clay-court tournaments. We will see how it goes after that," Djokovic said.
Murray is set to guide Djokovic through the upcoming tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami in March, followed by the clay-court season leading to the French Open.
