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Novak Djokovic Loses World Number One Ranking After Dubai Exit
Novak Djokovic is no longer the world number 1, losing his spot to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev after crashing out of the Dubai Championships.
The Dubai Championships was his first tournament since the controversy surrounding his Covid-19 vaccination stance, and it started promisingly.
In just over an hour Djokovic had beaten Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 6-3 in the opening round.
But his first time competing in 2022 was cut short in the quarter-finals.
Djokovic lost to Czech Republic’s Jiri Vesely 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
Vesely, ranked 123 in the world, said he “never thought I would have a chance against Novak.”
“It’s an amazing feeling, he is one of the great of all time if not the best,” he added.
The surprise upset means that, for the first time in 361 weeks, there will be a new world no.1 in men’s singles.
And that will be Russia’s Daniil Medvedev – making him the first player outside of Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal to rank first in 18 years.
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