Novak Djokovic confirmed to play at Serbia Open
Novak Djokovic has been confirmed to play in front of his home fans at the 2022 Serbia Open, according to the latest promotional materials released by the tournament.
The World No. 2 is one of five players featured on the poster that was posted to the ATP 250 event's official Instagram story, alongside World No. 28 Gael Monfils and World No. 50 Dominic Thiem. Also appearing on the poster are World No. 25 Cristian Garin and World No. 26 Karen Khachanov.
The Serbia Open will take place from April 18-24 this year, meaning that Rafael Nadal will not be competing in the tournament. The 21-time Grand Slam champion is already confirmed to play at the Barcelona Open the same week.
Having already announced his participation at the Monte-Carlo Masters the previous week (April 10-17), Belgrade will be the second tournament of the claycourt season in the Serb's calendar.
Along with Novak #Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Gael Monfils, Karen Khachanov and Cristian Garin confirmed for Serbia Open starting 18th of April.
Meanwhile, Thiem is expected to make his return during the clay season after almost 10 months on the sidelines. The Austrian last played in June against Adriano Mannarino at the Mallorca Open, where he injured his wrist.
@TennisChanneli)"The hand is getting better and better, but still I decided to pull out of Indian Wells and Miami to start on the clay court, it's still the surface where I feel the most comfortable."
Dominic Thiem
(🎥 @TennisChanneli) https://t.co/fqxzaNSHsA
After announcing and postponing his comeback multiple times since the start of the year, fans will hope to finally see the former US Open champion grace the tennis courts in earnest once again.
Novak Djokovic is a two-time winner at the Serbia Open
Novak Djokovic is the player with the most titles at the Serbia Open, having triumphed twice till date. The former World No. 1 won his maiden title in 2009, which also marked his debut in Belgrade, with a victory over Lukasz Kubot in the final. The Serb also appeared in the 2010 edition, where he was forced to retire against compatriot Filip Krajinovic with an injury in the quarterfinals.
In 2011, the top seed triumphed over Feliciano Lopez in the final. Djokovic chose not to participate in the 2012 edition. The Serbia Open did not take place from 2013 to 2020, and only made a return in 2021.
Once again the top seed, the 20-time Grand Slam champion reached the semifinals but lost to Aslan Karatsev, a match in which the Russian saved 23 break points to pull off a remarkable upset.
🏼
The match between @AsKaratsev and @DjokerNole has lasted over three hours! 💪🏼
At the end of harsh battle, Karatsev won, securing his place in the finals of Serbia Open 2021!🏆
#SerbiaOpen2021
#SerbiaOpen
#poweredbytelekom https://t.co/AGNhhVmBZJ
Karatsev lost to Matteo Berrettini in the final.