Novak Djokovic's first ATP final of 2022 at the Serbia Open ended in a three-set defeat to Russia's Andrey Rublev in Sunday's final.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner was seeking his first title since coming up trumps at the Paris Masters in November but went down 2-6 7-6 [7-4] 6-0 to a ruthless Rublev.
The Russian took two hours and 26 minutes to defeat Djokovic on home soil and was rewarded for a fast start against the Serbian, who only took one of his nine opportunities to break on the day.
Djokovic battled hard in the second set and managed to force a tie-break against a slightly frustrated Rublev, who quickly found himself 4-1 down in the decider as the tie went to a third set.
The Russian rediscovered his merciless returning form, though, and while Djokovic managed to save two Championship points at 5-0 down, a phenomenal forehand return from Rublev down the line handed him the Championship after a bagel.
Rublev's title at the Serbian Open represents his 11th ATP career singles win and his third of 2022 following previous successes at the Open 13 and Dubai Tennis Championships in February.
