Just a day after winning his 700th international tennis match, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic had to quit the ongoing Dubai Tennis Championship Tournament following a stroke of bad luck.
Djokovic’s amazing streak of 17 successive Tour Finals came to an end because of an eye problem, which started as a minor infection, then turned into a severe allergy. The champion said the ‘ultra-sensitive’ eye forced him to retire after losing the quarterfinal’s first set 6-3, to Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.
Djokovic has 11 major titles under his belt and has won the Dubai trophy four times in previous years. This was his first tournament since winning his sixth Australian Open in January.
The first signs of trouble came early on in the match, when the Serb lost his opening service game, something rare in a Djokovic match, then struggled to save three break points to keep from falling 3-0 behind Lopez.
Six games later, it was obvious that Djokovic was visibly uncomfortable. After consulting with his trainer, he decided it was best to concede the match rather than continue.
Since he won by default, Lopez will now go into the semi-finals, facing Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.