Novak failed to record his fourth victory this week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
Two-time former champion Novak Djokovic suffered a 4-6, 6-1, 4-6 loss to 8th seed Casper Ruud in a Saturday afternoon match that lasted two hours and 16 minutes.
Ruud started strong, breaking twice for a 4-1 lead. The top seed broke back once but could not turn the set around in his favour.
Novak found his rhythm in the second set and raced to 6-1 with a double break.
In a dramatic third set, Ruud stormed to a 3-0 advantage following a break in the second game. Nole fought back elevating his consistency and aggression to level at 4-4. It looked like the Serbian star was on course to complete his comeback, but he was unable to fend off another break point chance of Ruud in the 10th game. The Norwegian sealed the victory on his third match point after Djokovic double faulted.
Match statistics: aces (3-4), double faults (2-4), winners (31-23), unforced errors (32-24), total points won (84-73).
By beating the world no.1, Ruud captured the biggest win of his career. He will take on Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE, 12) in the final.
Novak and his team will make a decision in the following days about the next tournament participation.
Photo: Profimedia