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After displaying an excellent form in the previous matches, the Serb suddenly astonished his fans. The whole world was in quite a shock when he lost in the Dubai Tennis Championships 2022 quarterfinals against 123rd ranked Jiri Vesely. That too in straight sets 6- 4, 7-6(7-4).
Although Djokovic and Vesely were only meeting for the second time in their careers, the qualifier had the upper hand in their head-to-head. In the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters in 2016, the Czech player defeated Djokovic 6-4 2-6 6-4. However, in yesterday's match, it seemed like the Czech was too adamant to maintain his streak.
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The Dubai Tennis Championship's astonishing quarterfinal match in a nutshell
Djokovic's first tournament of the season, the Dubai Tennis Championships, got off to a shaky start, with Vesely's return causing issues, as the Czech Republican broke on the third attempt in the first game. Vesely became more passive after gaining a 2-0 lead, allowing Djokovic to reclaim the match. The Serb increased his defensive skills and level of play as the set progressed, winning three games in a row. Vesely, though, came roaring back in the seventh game, breaking in a lengthy break to take a 4-3 lead.
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Djokovic came out significantly stronger in the second set, with two of his first three serves being to love.
The Czech's aggression got the best of him in the second game. It gave him a 4-3 lead, thus, he was able able to fight off Djokovic's resistance. Furthermore, under duress, Vesely made important and uncharacteristic errors, allowing Djokovic to break back for a 5-5 tie and won the set. However, the match was decided in a tiebreak, and Vesely was able to utilise his enthusiasm to secure one of his best victories.
How does the defeat affect the Serb's ranking?
During his most recent tenure at the top of the men's game, Djokovic beat Federer's record for the most weeks at number one, amassing 361 weeks in total. He would have been able to surpass tennis queen Stefi Graff if he had extended his term to 378 weeks. However, that feat remains untouched by him as Monday will mark the first time since February 2020 that Djokovic will not be the top-ranked male player in the world. Russias's Daniil Medvedev will reach the pinnacle of men's tennis and, as a result, will step into Djokovic's shoes.