‘I Think You Didn’t Follow the Match’ – Karen Khachanov Hits Back at the ATP for Praising Novak Djokovic’s Dubai Win

The World Number 1 is up and running. After a disappointing start to this season that saw him miss the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic has made a commanding start to his first tournament of the 2022 season.

The Serb had to withdraw from the Gram Slam Down Under after his deportation from Australia. He was the talk of the town last month amidst the controversy. Recently, he even admitted that he might not play the entire 2022 season.

Yesterday, the 20-time Grand Slam champion won his second-round encounter against Russia’s Karen Khachanov. However, the Russian fought hard, but could not overpower his mighty opponent. Post-match, Khachanov wasn’t too pleased with a comment made regarding the match and subsequently reacted to it.

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Karen Khachanov takes a dig at the ATP Tour after his match against Novak Djokovic

After the match, the ATP Tour shared a post on their official Instagram handle regarding Djokovic’s win over Khachanov. The caption read, “A masterclass from Novak Djokovic.” Khachanov wasn’t too pleased with the statement made by the ATP. Further, he commented, “I think you didn’t follow the match to call it a masterclass.”

Djokovic defeated Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (2) to book his place in the quarterfinals. Although the scoreline appeared one-sided, it was a closely fought match, with the Russian going toe-to-toe against World Number 1, especially in the second set.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion started the match on a resounding note, breaking the Russian’s serve in the fourth game of the first set. Additionally, Djokovic dominated in his service games in the opening set, not giving his opponent any chances to come back in the set. He eventually took the first set, 6-3.

The second-set started on a similar note, with the Serb breaking the 25-year-old’s serve in the third game. However, Khachanov came back strongly to level the set at four games apiece. Further, both the players held their serves to take the second set into a tie-breaker. Djokovic showed his supremacy to win the tie-breaker and enter the quarterfinals.

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He will next face Jiri Vesely in the last-eight clash. Can Djokovic triumph in Dubai? Let us know your views in the comments below.