Moreover, the Serbian star will miss out on the world number one spot after defeat for the first time since January 2020, and will be replaced by Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

The twenty-eight-year-old Vesel made it to the main qualifying competition in Dubai and, thanks to advancing among the top four players, he will return to the top 100 in the world rankings.

Today, he beat Djokovic as the 123rd player in the ATP rankings and continued his first back-to-back duel of 2016, where he faced the Serb in three sets on clay in Monte Carlo.

Veselý entered the match with Djokovic’s spirit under control and immediately in the opening game he took the opponent’s serve. In the fourth game, the five-time Dubai tournament winner equalized, but was unable to control the game. The Czech was able to rely on serve throughout the match, she didn’t panic and with Djokovic she was able to make up for the trade.

After another break, he didn’t take the lead and won the opening set in 48 minutes. Veselý again tilted the start of the second set to his side in the seventh game, when he took another serve, but at 5:4 he didn’t use his first chance to serve.

Djokovic forced a tie-break, but the Czech put it back in better and this time he didn’t let go. After two hours of playing, he spun the ball of the first game and fell happily on the field.

“I would never expect me to beat him again. He is a great champion,” admitted Vesel in an on-court interview. But he welcomed the top ranking change. “I think it’s good for tennis to have a new number one again. A new generation is coming, that’s amazing,” he said.

Vesel, who has won the scalp of Marina ilič and Robert Bautista in Dubai after two rounds of qualifying, will compete with Denis Shapovalov. Sixth seed Canada beat Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 7:6, 6:3. Veselý will compete with world fourteen for the first time.

Medvedev, playing in this week’s Acapulco tournament, will be top of the table outside of the “Big Four” since 2004. Since then, only Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have finished first.

Last year’s US Open winner and finalist from the last two years of the Australian Open, Medvedev, will take the tennis throne as the 27th player in ranking history.

Dubai Men’s Tennis Tournament (Hard, $2,949,665):

Singles – Quarterfinals: Cheerful (CZE) – Djokovic (1-Srb.) 6:4, 7:6 (7:4), Rubljov (2-Rus.) – McDonald (USA) 2:6, 6:3, 6:1, Hurkacz ( 5-Pol.) – Sinner (4-It.) 6:3, 6:3.