DJOKOVIC LOSES TWICE IN ONE DAY, IN PART BECAUSE OF NADAL BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 8th January 2015

Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi

DJOKOVIC LOSES TWICE IN ONE DAY, IN PART BECAUSE OF NADAL BY RICKY DIMON

epa04545560 Spain's Rafael Nadal returns the ball to Swiss tennis player Stanislas Wawrinka during their match for the third place at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2015 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 03 January 2015. EPA/ALI HAIDER |

Novak Djokovic has had better days at the office, and will undoubtedly have more in the very near future. Thursday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open was not one of them.

Djokovic was stunned in the singles quarterfinals by Ivo Karlovic 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-4 then lost his doubles semifinal with Filip Krajinovic to Rafael Nadal and Juan Monaco 7-6(3), 6-1.

Ivo Karlovic of Croatia serves to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the quarter final match at the Qatar ExxonMobil ATP Open Tennis tournament at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, 08 January 2015.

Karlovic did not face a single break point in the entire match. The 6’11” Croat wasted one set point on his own serve at 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker but recovered to win the next two points. The final turning point came with Djokovic serving at 3-3 in the third, when Karlovic produced an incredible forehand pass for the decisive break.

“It was unbelievable,” the No. 7 seed assured in his on-court interview. “When I arrived here, I didn’t expect that one. [Djokovic] wasn’t able to show his full range because it was windy. I just focused on my game and in the end I was a little luckier.”

Djokovic found no luck in doubles, either. The Serbian duo made the first set competitive, but after dropping the tiebreaker it was one-way traffic for Nadal and Monaco. The victors will face Julian Knowle and Philipp Oswald in an all-unseeded final on Friday.

“I don’t feel better because Djokovic lost,” Nadal, who fell in his singles opener to Michael Berrer, said of the world No. 1’s surprise result against Karlovic. “In the first tournament of year this can happen. Karlovic was good.”

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Ivo Karlovic of Croatia during the quarter final match at the Qatar ExxonMobil ATP Open Tennis tournament at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, 08 January 2015.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: Atp, Doha, Ivo Karlovic, Novak Djokovic, Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Rafa, Ricky Dimon, Sports, Tennis

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10sBalls_com says:

January 8, 2015 at 3:16 pm

-@DjokerNole LOSES TWICE IN ONE DAY, IN PART BECAUSE OF @RafaelNadal BY @Dimonator http://t.co/6tF87mwOK7 #Doha #tennis #QatarExxonMobilOpen
Dimonator says:

January 8, 2015 at 3:30 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: -@DjokerNole LOSES TWICE IN ONE DAY, IN PART BECAUSE OF @RafaelNadal BY @Dimonator http://t.co/6tF87mwOK7 #Doha #tennis #…
JenNypatissier says:

January 8, 2015 at 3:42 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: -@DjokerNole LOSES TWICE IN ONE DAY, IN PART BECAUSE OF @RafaelNadal BY @Dimonator http://t.co/6tF87mwOK7 #Doha #tennis #…