Novak Djokovic won on his return to the ATP Tour following his Australian Open triumph but he had to work hard to beat Czech qualifier Tomas Machac 6-3 3-6 7-6(1) in his Dubai Tennis Championships opener on Tuesday. Djokovic, who surpassed Steffi Graf's record for the most weeks as world number one after s
Novak Djokovic won on his return to the ATP Tour following his Australian Open triumph but he had to work hard to beat Czech qualifier Tomas Machac 6-3 3-6 7-6 in his Dubai Tennis Championships opener on Tuesday.
But there were some signs of rust especially on Djokovic's serve, which seemed to fail him midway through the opening set, before he regained control and took the early advantage in the match when Machac sent a return long. Machac began to struggle with a right wrist issue early in the third set and Djokovic pounced for a 3-1 lead but the Czech mounted a comeback with a break of his own to level at 4-4 with some superb ball-striking along the way.
"Tomas didn't play like a world number 130. He played great tennis and deserves all the applause. He was giving me all kinds of trouble but when it mattered most I found another gear," Djokovic said.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Novak Djokovic breaks Steffi Graf's record for weeks at No. 1Novak Djokovic is ranked No. 1 in the world for the record 378th time.The 22-time Grand Slam champion broke the mark set by Steffi Graf.Djokovic, 35, has 6,980 points in the latest ATP Rankings, 200 more than No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.'It's surreal to be that many weeks
Read more »
Djokovic 'pain free' as he prepares for return in DubaiNovak Djokovic said he was now playing without pain after recovering from a hamstring injury as he prepares to return to the ATP Tour in Dubai this week, following his record-extending 10th Australian Open title last month. Djokovic suffered a three-centimetre hamstring tear en route to winning the Adelaide warm-up event before claiming his 22nd Grand Slam title at Melbourne...
Read more »
Djokovic 'pain free' as he prepares for return in DubaiNovak Djokovic said he was now playing without pain after recovering from a hamstring injury as he prepares to return to the ATP Tour in Dubai this week following his record-extending 10th Australian Open title last month. Djokovic suffered a
Read more »
ATP roundup: Andrey Rublev avoids early upset in DubaiNo. 2 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia fell behind 5-2 in the opening set before storming back for a 7-5, 6-2 triumph over Serbia's Filip Krajinovic in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday in the United Arab Emirates.Krajinovic broke Rublev's serve in his first service game
Read more »
Murray pulls out of Dubai due to recurring hip injuryAndy Murray has withdrawn from the Dubai Tennis Championships this week due to a recurring hip issue, tournament organisers said on Monday.The 35-year-old, a three-times Grand Slam champion, is no stranger to hip problems and was on the verge of retirement in 2019 after having surgery the previous year.
Read more »
Djokovic 'pain free' as he prepares for return in DubaiNovak Djokovic said he was now playing without pain after recovering from a hamstring injury as he prepares to return to the ATP Tour in Dubai this week following his record-extending 10th Australian Open title last month. Djokovic suffered a
Read more »