Novak Djokovic suffered an eye problem which forced him to quit the match and lose the first set 6-3 and retire from his Dubai Tennis championship. This marked the end of his dominance of 17 successive Tour finals against the sixth seed.
Novak Djokovic faces eye problem; retires from Dubai Open
Djokovic after his retirement said, “It started with an infection and then severe allergy. I have had it since I arrived in Dubai. It has gotten worse in the last two days, unfortunately. It’s the first time that I have had such a problem with the eye. IT was ultra-sensitive today.”
His retirement has pushed the Spaniard, Feliciano Lopez into the semis against the Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis. The 28-year-old then called for his trainer before continuing the match. Six games later, Djokovic said he was unable to continue after being broken once again to lose the set.
Lopez, after the match said, “It is very sad when one of the greatest players ever has to retire a match like that”. He only discovered Djokovic’s problem when the pair shook hands at the net.
Djokovic, 11-time Gland Slam champion, last retirement was in a Davis Cup clash in 2011.
Tags: Dubai Open, Feliciano Lopez, Marcos Baghdatis, Novak Djokovic, Tennis
