Novak Djokovic was left in tears after bowing out of his Adria Tour tennis tournament in front of 4,000 home fans in Belgrade.
The Serbian needed a straight sets victory over Alexander Zverev in his last group game to reach the final against Austrian Dominic Thiem.
However, the 33-year-old took three sets to get past the German, winning 4-0, 1-4, 4-2, meaning countryman Filip Krajnovic goes into the final instead.
The world number one told the crowd: "I am not crying because I got knocked out of the tournament, I am just overwhelmed by emotion because this reminds me of my childhood.
"It's been an emotional few days and I want to thank everyone who made this possible. The important thing after this match is that we have one of our own in the final. I love you all and thank you so much for turning up."
The ATP Tour is suspended until at least July 31 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the Adria Tour, set up by Djokovic, is one of several events that has been established to help elite players prepare for an eventual restart.
Further legs of the tournament will take place in Croatia and Bosnia but an event in Montenegro has been postponed because of concerns over coronavirus protocols.
Additional reporting by PA.
