DUBAI: World number one Novak Djokovic quit the Dubai Tennis Championships after dropping the first set of his quarter-final against Feliciano Lopez on Thursday, ending his streak of 17 successive finals.
The top-seeded Serb lost the opening set 6-3 during which he appeared to complain about a problem with his right eye.
The retirement represents the first time he has failed to make a final since Doha in January 2015.
“It’s very sad when one of the greatest players ever has to retire from a match like that,” Lopez told reporters while adding that Djokovic had told him he had suffered an eye infection.
