Nikoloz Basilashvili vows never to return to Qatar Open after wildcard snub

Nikoloz Basilashvili has announced that he will never play at the Qatar Open again after being denied a wildcard by the tournament organisers, despite having won the title in 2021 and reached the final in 2022. The Georgian player expressed disappointment that he wasn’t even granted a qualifying wildcard and strongly criticised the decision.

Basilashvili has struggled in recent years with injuries and a drop in form, keeping him out of the top 100 since 2023. Despite this, he has managed to compete in some ATP main draws and had hoped to be part of the Doha Open.

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The former world No. 16 has won three ATP 500 titles and achieved his best Grand Slam result by reaching the fourth round at the 2018 US Open. In 2021, he also reached the Indian Wells final, where he lost to Cameron Norrie.

However, more significantly, Basilashvili has been particularly successful in Doha, winning the title when it was an ATP 250 event in 2021 by defeating Roberto Bautista Agut in the final, before finishing runner-up to the same Spaniard the following year.

The 32-year-old requested a wildcard but was turned down, prompting him to share his frustration on social media. “Hello everyone, I’m a little heartbroken to share that I wasn’t able to get a wildcard for the Doha event, not even for the qualifying draw, despite winning the title in 2021 and reaching the final in 2022.”

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“I’m used to not getting anything the easy way, but this one hurts. I was the last one to miss the cut,” the former Indian Wells runner-up added. “I understand that money and sponsors play a role, but above all is common sense.”

“Qatar, you’ve given me incredible moments and memories that I’ll keep forever. But I promise this – I will never return to compete here again in my professional career,” he concluded on his Instagram stories.

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