Novak Djokovic has crashed out of the Qatar Open after suffering a straight-sets loss to Matteo Berrettini in the first round. 

Djokovic, a two-time champion in Doha, suffered a surprised 7-6(5), 6-2, loss to an in-form Berrettini who is a former world No.6 and Wimbledon finalist. The Serbian was unable to find a way to tame his opponent’s blistering serve and 33 winners from his forehand and backhand sides. It was the first time he had played a match since suffering a leg injury which forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open. 

Meanwhile, Berrettini had recorded his first win over a top 10 player since January 2023. According to the ATP, he is the eighth Italian man to record a 10th win over a top 10 player during their career. 

“It’s something that I’ve been looking to do for a long,” said Berrettini who had lost all of his four previous meetings with Djokovic.

“In the most important tournaments on tour (ATP Finals and three Grand Slams) I had the honor and the pleasure to play against him. I wish I could have won one of those matches as well.

“I worked really hard to be back at this level. I just needed matches like this. All the hard work that I’ve been putting in the last months and the last days, worked out really pretty well today. So I’m really happy with my performance.”

Throughout the opener, there was little to separate the two with no break points occuring during the first 12 games played. Berrettini first drew blood with the help of a double-handed backhand shot that Djokovic couldn’t return which rewarded him a mini break for 5-3. In the lead, he sealed the first set with the help of a body serve the the 24-time Grand Slam winner returned out. 

Berrettini continued his offensive in the second frame which he started in clinical form by winning three games in a row. Continuing to fend off the threat from Djokovic, he recovered from a 0-30 deficit at 4-2 hold serve and moved to a game from victory. He sealed the win on his second match point with the help of a forehand unforced error from the third seed.

“You never know, especially with a champion like Novak, he’s always ready to come back and you could see the first match point will happen,” Berrettini said of closing the match out. 

“I had to stay focused to keep playing the way that I was playing aggressive.”

It is the first time since the 2018 Miami Open that Djokovic has failed to win his opening match at an ATP hardcourt event. 

Murray to stay in team Djokovic 

Djokovic’s loss comes shortly after he announced that Andy Murray will continue to be a member of his team for the foreseeable future. He hired his former rival at the end of last season, which is Murray’s first coaching job on the Tour. After an initial agreement between the two to work together until the Australian Open, they have now decided to extend their partnership until at least the clay swing with Wimbledon also being a possibility. 

“We had a chat the day after I finished the tournament and we reflected on the period we spent together,” the 37-year-old told atptour.com.

“We agreed he was going to take some time and think, speak with his family members and see if he decides to keep working.

“I expressed my desire to continue the collaboration with him so I am really glad he did accept.

“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. “

Elaborating further, Djokovic said his new coach has settled in well with the other members of his team.  

“He obviously has a unique perspective on my game,” Djokovic explained. “He has played me and all of the current best players in the world and knows everyone well.

“He knows exactly what we need to do tactically – the evolution of my game and what needs to be improved.

“He has a positive approach and has handled the whole pressure very well as it is a completely different situation from being there as a player.

“He has been terrific with all the other team members and while it was unfortunate the way the Australian Open finished with injury, we had a great run.”

His win-loss record for 2025 currently stands at 7-3.