Djokovic lost to Medvedev in the semi-finals of the Dubai Championships
38 self-defeating errors made Djokovic receive his first loss since the beginning of the season. On the day Medvedev made only 12 mistakes himself, Djokovic could not overwhelm his juniors in durable balls. His tenacious defense and graceful movement helped Medvedev win his 13th game in a row in 18 days, thereby reaching the final of the third ATP tournament in a row.
No one had a break-point in the first four games, before Medvedev broke through. Taking advantage of the mistakes of his seniors, the Russian player won two games in a row and led 5-2. Djokovic won two games in a row, but not enough to escape losing the first set. Medvedev kept the decisive serve game and won 6-4 in the first set.
Djokovic once again had to chase in the second set, when he lost the first game of the set. Despite playing vigorously and repeatedly putting Medvedev under pressure, the number one tennis player in the world could not turn the tide. In Medvedev's decisive game, when the score was 30-30, Djokovic dropped the difficulty, but the Russian player accelerated and set a short response to score a winner. That score opened the door for Medvedev to close the game after one hour and 35 minutes.
"When you play against Novak, you have to be at your peak," Medvedev said after the match. "I had to try to play as best as I could to make it difficult for him. In the second set I didn't face any break-points, but also got dragged into 30-30 many times. I calmly overcame pressure. strength, and happiness to reach the final".
In the final match, Medvedev will meet compatriot Andrey Rublev - who defeated Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (9). Medvedev, with a victory over Nole, rose to become the player with the most matches this season. He won 18 games, equaling Cameron Norrie.
Medvedev also broke the circuit of four consecutive defeats against Djokovic. If he beats Rublev, the world number seven will win three ATP tournaments in three weeks for the first time in his career.
