Serbian Novak Djokovic, ranked number one in the world, expressed his happiness to return to participate in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in its 30th edition, stressing that he has many wonderful memories in Dubai, and in this tournament in particular, the participation in which represents the pinnacle of enthusiasm for him. Because it comes after a long period of suspension from playing official matches, especially since last December.
Djokovic, 34, is seeking to crown his sixth title in Dubai, having previously won this title 5 times, in the tournament, whose main roles start on Monday, with the participation of the world’s elite stars of the game, competing for the championship cup and 500 points in the world ranking, In addition to prize money of $2.8 million.
Djokovic said – at a press conference specially convened for him by the Dubai Duty Free Organizing Committee this evening, on the eve of his participation in the tournament – it is great to be here in Dubai, I have achieved great results before, it has been a long time since my first participation in the Dubai Duty Free, it is a championship I have many wonderful memories with her on and off the field.
He added, “It is clear that Dubai has become one of the major tennis centers in the world, as many players reside here, who come to stay and train, in addition to that this tournament has attracted most of the best players and professional players alike.”
Regarding his chances of winning his sixth title in Dubai, he said: I think that the new version will involve four or five players from the top 10 players in the world. It is always a very strong tournament, in addition to the fact that the draw is often difficult, and every match you play here is as if You are in a Grand Slam match, even though it is a 500-point tournament, but it definitely feels stronger than that.
Regarding his absence from the official participation for a while, after the events that accompanied the Australian Open and his failure to participate in it, he said: I am excited to participate here, I have not played a match since the Davis Cup in Spain last December, I can’t wait to start my first official match on Monday evening .
Djokovic confirmed that his first match in the tournament with Italian Lorenzo Mussetti will be difficult, contrary to what some might think, and said: The first match will be very important to start the search for the sixth title in a positive way. A few weeks ago, and we had already played a difficult five-set match at Roland Garros, it will be a really tough match.
The tournament draw put Djokovic against the Italian player Lorenzo Mussetti, ranked 57th in the world, who is a wild card participant, in their first match in the first round of the tournament.
The world number one confirmed that the game of tennis is his life, and he cannot imagine what others can do now or in the future, noting that he began training in preparation for this tournament about 10 days after his return from Australia, and over the past three weeks he has been training seriously.
“I love this game, I love hitting the tennis ball, so it wasn’t difficult to pick up the racket and get out to the training ground and play again because I have a lot of passion for the sport and I appreciate every minute I spend on the training ground because I know there’s always something to work on and that’s it,” he said. I develop it.
He added, “Knowing that I came to Dubai had a goal planned and working towards, and now that I’m here, I can say that I am ready and excited once again to participate in this tournament.”
In terms of competitions, the main roles will start tomorrow, with a confrontation between Marine Click, winner of the 2014 US Open and runner-up in Wimbledon and Australian Open, against Czech Yeri Felse, the runner-up from the qualifying round.
Tomorrow, the second match will be between Tunisian Malek Jaziri, who reached the semi-finals of the Dubai Championship in 2018, participating with the “Wild Card” invitation card, against Philip Krajinovic, who recently reached the semi-finals of the Montpellier Championship.
Andy Murray, the former world number one and three-time Grand Slam winner, will meet with Daniel Evans, the runner-up from the qualifying round.
Tomorrow’s matches will conclude with Djokovic’s meeting, who will start his consultations to achieve his sixth title, with Italian Lorenz Mussetti, the participant with a wild card.