"Another great tournament": Novak Djokovic's message to Andrey Rublev, Jack Draper after Qatar Open final

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has congratulated both Russia’s Andrey Rublev and Britain’s Jack Draper after their impressive outing in the Qatar Open. The two players featured in a scintillating final where the Russian tennis eventually came out on top with a score of Rublev 7-5, 5-7, 6-1. It was his first title of the season.

Former world number one Djokovic, who also featured in the competition but lost in the opening round to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2, in a post on the social media, congratulated both players for an impressive final and also congratulated the authorities for holding a successful competition. “Congrats Andrey Rublev and well played Jack Draper!,” he wrote. “And well done to Qatar Tennis for organising another great tournament.”

Talking after lifting the title, Rublev, who had a difficult start to his 2025 season when he suffered a first-round exit from the Australian Open, stated that he was really happy to lift the title. He also congratulated his opponent and believes that he has all the talent to win great things in the future.

“It feels amazing,” he said while talking to the media after the match. “It’s the first time I’ve won the same title twice. I’m really happy. I don’t know what else to say. I really like Jack as a person and I really like his game. He has a really, really great career and future ahead. He will win many great things.”

On the other hand, Draper, who had a fabulous 2024 where he played in the semifinal of the Australian Open, admitted that he was second-best on the day. The British tennis star also highlighted that in the third set, Rublev was too strong for him. “I want to congratulate Andrey,” he said. “He was too good today. Outlasted me. We played some really tough matches this week. In the third set he was a bit too strong for me.”