Djoker wins opener
World number one on threshold of joining exclusive club
dubai — On Sunday Novak Djokovic admitted that he spent the next two weeks after the Australian Open final without touching a racquet.
Then on a cool Monday evening, the ease with which Djokovic dismantled a gutsy opponent in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships left you wondering if he was visualizing shots for next tournaments in his mind while playing with little son Stefan in the glorious settings of Monte Carlo, his second home.
Djokovic has reached a stage in his career where he can just come back from a reasonably long break and throw full-blooded punches at rivals from the word go.
The world number one needed only 65 minutes to beat Tommy Robredo – one of the few men to have beaten him in recent years – 6-1 6-2 to start his bid for a fifth Dubai title.
“Yes, he (Robredo) is a very experienced player. He has won against top players many times on different surfaces, different occasions. He’s a great fighter,” Djokovic said after the match.
“I knew he was not going to get overwhelmed by the occasion and playing on a big stadium. He’s been in this situation before.
“As for me obviously, playing the first match in three weeks in different conditions, I didn’t know how I was going to start.
“I didn’t know whether I was going to execute the game plans well.
“But everything went well. You know, very few things went wrong.
“I was putting constant pressure on his serve. I returned very, very well. Served solid and was aggressive from back of the court. I cannot be happier with this performance.”
The 11-time Grand Slam winner has reached a stage in his career where even a mundane win can get him closer to a new landmark.
After Monday’s win, he is on the threshold of joining an exclusive club occupied by some all-time greats, including his own coach Boris Becker.
A win over wildcard Malek Jaziri — who had earlier beaten Mikhail Youzhny 6-4 6-1 — in the next round will give Djokovic his 700th career match win.
“Well, every milestone is very special. I wish that I make the 700th win in this tournament, obviously.
“But it’s not going to affect my preparation for the next match. It’s not going to change the way I approach the next match or this tournament.”
Flamboyant Spaniard Feliciano Lopez also reached a pretty impressive milestone on Monday. His 6-1 4-6 6-4 win over compatriot Guillermo Garcia Lopez was his 400th career win.
“Well, I am very happy, first of all, because I think is a good number, 400 wins,” smiled Lopez who would play the winner of Tuesday first round match between India’s Yuki Bhambri and Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic in the next round.
Earlier, talented South Korean Hyeon Chung got off to a flying start with a 6-3 6-4 win over veteran Italian Andreas Seppi.