Novak Djokovic is competing in Doha for the first time since 2019. The two-time champion is seeking his milestone 100th ATP title against Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev. The Serb also decided to enter the doubles draw.
He joined foces with Fernando Verdasco, who is playing his last tournament in a career. Novak and Fernando trained in Doha a couple of days ago and looked great in their first encounter. The Serb and the Spaniard toppled Karen Khachanov and Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-1 in no time.
Thus, Djokovic and Verdasco revived their old Doha magic, with everyone thinking about their epic 2017 semi-final duel! They embraced 15 encounters on the Tour, and the mentioned Doha encounter stands at the top as one of the most exciting one.
Otra gran remontada de Novak Djokovic (🇷🇸) fue la que consiguió en Doha 2017 ante Fernando Verdasco (🇪🇸) en la que levantó 5 match points (📹: Tennis TV). pic.twitter.com/FpZV1vAfMz
— Drive Cruzado (@DriveCruzado) April 12, 2020
Djokovic defended five match points in the second set tie break and prevailed 4-6, 7-6 6-3 in two hours and 23 minutes. Novak struggled to find his A-game for a set and a half, trailing a set and a break before raising his level.
The Serb finished the duel with 14 winners and 28 unforced errors. The Spaniard attacked and kept the points on his racquet. Fernando landed 28 winners and 56 unforced errors, spraying a couple in the pivotal moments during those five match points.
Fernando Verdasco & Novak Djokovic, Doha 2017© Stream screenshot
Djokovic secured four breaks and got broken three times. The defending champion made a push on the return in the sixth game of the opener, causing the rival’s mistake and moving 4-2 in front. Instead of building on that, the Serb suffered a break at love in game seven after a loose forehand.
Novak lost ground and experienced another break at love at 4-4 when his backhand landed long. Djokovic wasted a break point in game ten and played a loose backhand to fall 6-4 behind after 43 minutes. The Serb missed another backhand in the first game of the second set and lost serve.
Fernando Verdasco & Novak Djokovic, Doha 2025© Stream screenshot
Verdasco produced three straight breaks and extended his streak with a service winner in game two. Novak ended his downfall with a volley winner in game four, pulling the break back and launching his comeback. Fernando had another massive chance to move closer to the finish line.
The Spaniard generated three break points in the ninth game. He squandered them, including an open forehand on the third. They served well in the remaining three games and introduced a tie break. Djokovic missed a backhand in the fifth point and fell 4-2 behind.
Novak Djokovic, Doha 2017© Stream screenshot
The defending champion played a terrible backhand in the seventh point and followed it with an even worse drop shot. Thus, Fernando moved 6-2 up and generated four match points. Novak erased three and took care of the fourth with a backhand winner for 6-6.
A left-handed attacked in the 13th point and created the fifth match point with a forehand winner. The Spaniard sent a forehand wide and missed his last chance to earn a notable victory. Djokovic stole the breaker 9-7 and forced a decider after an hour and 51 minutes.
Fernando Verdasco & Novak Djokovic, Doha 2025© Stream screenshot
Fernando held from 0-30 in the third game of the final set, doing eveyrthing to leave the setback behind. However, Novak made a push on the return in game five and caused the rival’s mistake to grab a break and move in front.
The Serb landed an ace in the sixth game and painted a forehand down the line winner two games later for 5-3. Verdasco served to stay in the match in game nine and placed a backhand wide, suffering a break and sending the Serb over the top.
Tennis World USA