Top seed Novak Djokovic opened his bid for a fifth Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title on Tuesday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over world no.63 Vasek Pospisil in the first round.
Nole won 78% of points on his first serve in the 78-minute win. He broke three times from four opportunities and saved two of the three break points he faced, improving to a 3-0 mark against the Canadian in their ATP Head2Head series.
“I’m still looking for that rhythm on the court,” said Djokovic. “But I managed to stay mentally tough. I was patient in rallies. As soon as we get through the rally, I have a better chance of winning. He’s a very flashy player, aggressive, goes after his shots. He served well first set. I just utilised my opportunities. When his first serve percentage dropped, I knew that’s my chance. I won a lot of those second serve points. I think that’s what decided the match, even though my serve wasn’t at the level where I wanted it to be today. So hopefully the next match can be better.”
Match statistics: aces (5-2), double faults (2-6), winners (17-16), unforced errors (23-38), total points won (65-53).
Novak will take a perfect 3-0 record into his second round match against no.107 in the ATP rankings, Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan, on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old Belgrade native is making his ninth appearance at the ATP 500 hard-court event (31-4), lifting the trophy in 2009-11 and 2013.
Djokovic improved to a 10-1 W/L record on the season, highlighted by winning his eighth Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open (d. Murray).
The world no.1 is bidding to become the 12th player in the Open Era to win 50 titles. He is currently tied with his coach Boris Becker (49).
Photo: Nida Alibhai
