Top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia began his title defense at this week’s Dubai Tennis Championships with an opening round win over Denis Istomin 6-3, 6-3 which lasted 84 minutes.
“It wasn’t as easy as the scoreline indicates,” said Djokovic. “I needed to work for my games. My serve worked really well in the second set, and that helped me to get some free points. But having not played for more than four, five weeks, an official match, obviously it takes its toll on the court. I practised a lot. I put in a lot of hours on the court, trying to develop my game, trying to get myself in the right shape, and it’s going to click sooner or later.”
Djokovic is aiming for a fifth title at this ATP 500 hardcourt event.
“The atmosphere is great. I enjoy it,” said Djokovic. “It’s a beautiful stadium. I have had lots of success on this court, at this tournament, and I always look forward to coming back.”
The 26-year old is still searching for his first title of the 2014 season following a surprise quarterfinal exit at the Australian Open last month where he was the three-time defending champion. He lost a tough five-set match against eventual champion Stanislas Wawrinka.
