Novak Djokovic praised by tennis fans for what he did at the net immediately after losing to Matteo Berrettini at the Qatar Open

Follow us on Google Discover

Novak Djokovic must continue his search for a 100th ATP Tour title away from the Qatar Open, having lost his opener to Matteo Berrettini.

Berrettini predicted ‘good things’ for himself ahead of his meeting with Djokovic, with the duo having been drawn together in the 2025 Qatar Open round of 32.

And it was Berrettini who emerged victorious, producing a fantastic display to defeat the Serbian 7-6(7-4), 6-2.

Djokovic was playing his first match since the Australian Open, where he reached the semi-finals before retiring hurt.

He lost the opening set to Alexander Zverev in Melbourne before calling it a day, with the German going on to lose the final to Jannik Sinner.

Novak Djokovic praised by tennis fans for handshake with Matteo Berrettini

Djokovic is currently on 99 ATP Tour titles and 24 Grand Slam titles, but his quest for further success continues after the loss to Berrettini.

Despite a shock early exit, however, the Serbian was graceful in defeat, with one fan writing of his handshake with the Italian on X: “Novak Djokovic might well be the greatest winner in professional tennis but he is also quite easily the greatest loser. Man always puts it all aside for a moment to congratulate his opponent with a smile.”

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic admits he’s been very ‘surprised’ after hearing what people have been saying about him following the Australian Open

A second tennis fan wrote: “Always impressed by how he congratulates his (very few) conquerors… while obviously burning inside.”

A third impressed fan said: “Djokovic is the most graceful loser whenever he loses. Maybe because he has achieved everything in tennis.”

Others commented: “Replace the word ‘greatest’ with ‘most gracious’. That would be more apt,” and “Agreed. Gracious in defeat!”

And further praise arrived from other fans, one of which noted: “Agreed. I see this soooo often with him. A lot of great handshakes at the net in general in the men’s game.”

What is the head-to-head record between Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini?

Much of the post-match focus may focus on Djokovic given his status and indeed his recent injury issues.

But Berrettini does, of course, deserve plenty of credit for grinding out the fantastic triumph at the Qatar Open in Doha.

READ MORE: The ‘perfect’ match Novak Djokovic played which made a shocked Rafael Nadal admit that he had never seen tennis like it

It represents a very first victory for the Italian over the Serbian, with their head-to-head record now reading 4-1 in favour of the latter.

He has earned himself a round of 16 clash with Tallon Griekspoor in Qatar, while Djokovic remains at the tournament given his doubles commitments.

The Serbian has reached the quarter-finals of that event with Fernando Verdasco, where the pair take on Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara.

That meeting comes after the hugely experienced stars teamed up to smash Karen Khachanov and Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-1 in the round of 16.