adminback to October and includes claiming a third straight Australian Open title, was broken once in the second set but was otherwise untroubled in his first match since Davis Cup duty in early February.
“I had three or four weeks of no tennis, so I was extremely focused to start well and I did really well in the first set,” Djokovic (25) said in a courtside interview.
“I was right behind his serve and I’m very satisfied with my performance and hopefully I can continue.”
Few would bet against the top seed meeting Roger Federer in Saturday’s final, with the pair having won eight of the past 10 Dubai titles, although the Swiss did need three sets to get past wildcard Malek Jaziri on Monday.
Also into the second round is former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, who saved three match points on his way to beating Marcos Baghdatis 4-6, 6-4, 7-6.
Fourth seed Del Potro recovered from 4-1 down in the deciding set, the Argentine’s superior ground strokes ultimately wearing down his Cypriot opponent as dusk fell.
“Marcos also deserved to win but the luck was behind me and I played better in the big moments,” Del Potro said in a courtside interview. “In the tiebreak I was solid.”
The opening two sets were decided by a service break as both players opted for a serve-and-volley approach. – SuperTennis.
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