WATCH: Novak Djokovic enjoys time off from tennis action at Belgrade Open, presents Denis Shapovalov with winner's trophy & a warm hug after final
Novak Djokovic attended the Belgrade Open final between Denis Shapovalov and Hamad Medjedovic. The Serb also attended the presentation ceremony to present the trophy to Shapovalov, who beat Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in the title clash to win his second ATP singles title.
Djokovic's 2024 season came to an end after he withdrew from the ATP Finals in Turin. He last competed at the Shanghai Masters and reached the final before losing to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Before his withdrawal from the season-ending tournament, he also withdrew from the Paris Masters.
The 37-year-old was present at the Belgrade Arena to watch the Belgrade Open final between qualifier Denis Shapovalov and lucky loser Hamad Medjedovic. He was seen in the stands, spending time with his former longtime coach Marian Vajda.
Denis Shapovalov won the Serbia Open, which is his first title since 2019 and Novak Djokovic was present to award the winners' trophy to the Canadian and also shared a warm hug with him.
The Serb ended 2024 with 37 wins out of 46 matches, most notably winning the Olympic gold after beating Carlos Alcaraz, who previously beat him in the Wimbledon final. In other tournaments, he reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Novak Djokovic competed at the inaugural edition of the Belgrade Open in 2021
The first edition of the Belgrade Open took place in 2021 and was held on clay. Djokovic competed in the tournament as the top seed and received a bye to the second round. Here, he faced German lucky loser Mats Moraing and beat him 6-2, 7-6(4) to book his place in the quarterfinals.
The Serb thrashed Federico Coria 6-1, 6-0 to set up a semifinal clash against Slovak qualifier Andrej Martin, who he beat 6-2, 4-6, 6-0. Djokovic faced another qualifier from Slovakia in the final in Alex Molcan and registered a 6-4, 6-3 victory to win the tournament.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion last competed at a tournament in Belgrade at the 2022 Serbia Open, which took place at the Novak Tennis Center. He reached the final with wins over Laslo Djere, Miomir Kecmanovic and Karen Khachanov. The Serb faced Andrey Rublev in the title clash and lost 2-6, 7-6(4), 0-6.