Novak Djokovic and Fernando Verdasco lost to the second-seeded pair in the Doha doubles quarterfinal and that officially ended the Spaniard’s career.
After destroying Alexander Bublik and Karen Khachanov 6-1 6-1 for their first win as a doubles duo, the Serb and the Spaniard competed well against Haari Heliovaara and Henry Patten but ultimately suffered a 5-7 4-6 defeat to the reigning Wimbledon champions.
In the fifth and seventh games, Djokovic and Verdasco were close to getting broken but managed to win their service games via a deciding point.
But in the 11th game, they lost their serve as the No. 2 seeds opened a 6-5 lead before serving out for the first set in the following game.
Down by a set, the Serbian/Spanish pair also got broken in the fifth game of the second set.
With Heliovaara and Patten 5-3 up, Djokovic and Verdasco saved two match points on their serve but they failed to get the break back in the following game as the 2024 Wimbledon champions completed a two-set win.
Novak Djokovic and Fernando Verdasco© X screenshot
Verdasco’s career ends
The 2009 Australian Open semifinalist, who turned pro in 2001, announced over the weekend that he decided to retire by playing doubles in Doha with the record 24-time Grand Slam champion.
“After so many incredible years on the ATP Tour, the time has come for my final tournament, and what better way to finish than playing doubles with my friend Novak Djokovic, a true legend of our sport and one of the best athletes of all time,” the 41-year-old announced on Instagram.
When Verdasco was spotted on the practice court with the Serb, rumors started to swirl around that he was the 37-year-old’s new coach.
But then, a clarification came and it was revealed that they were only preparing for the doubles event in Doha.
During his career, the Spanish tennis player won seven titles and was ranked as high as No. 7 in the world.
Tennis World USA