Novak Djokovic continues perfect start to season with opening win Dubai
Novak Djokovic is bidding for his fifth title in Dubai, and first since 2013
Monday 24 February 2020 17:16, UK
World No 1 Novak Djokovic continued his perfect start to the season with victory against Malek Jaziri at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday.
Djokovic is yet to lose a match in 2020 having led Serbia to victory in the inaugural ATP Cup team event in Australia followed by his eighth crown in Melbourne.
He made it 14-0 this year following a straightforward 6-1 6-2 victory over Tunisian Jaziri in exactly an hour.
The 32-year-old is chasing his fifth title in Dubai and his first since 2013.
"It's a great way to start out the tournament," said Djokovic. "As I've said in the press conference prior to the tournament, I miss playing here. I really enjoy it. I enjoy night sessions, I think I've done everything as well as I imagined it to be for the first match.
"Of course, there's things that always can be improved, things that can be better. But I have to be satisfied with the performance."
- Will surgery be a blessing in disguise for Feds?
- Sky VIP - thousands of prizes this February including Premier League tickets, trips to Hollywood, Australia and more
Djokovic, who is taking part in the tournament for the first time since 2016, will face Philipp Kohlschreiber for a spot in the quarter-finals. The German came through against Mohamed Safwat of Egypt 4-6 6-4 6-0.
Karen Khachanov was tested in the early stages of his opening match, before charging to a 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 victory against Mikhail Kukushkin.
Khachanov advances to a second-round encounter against wild card Prajnesh Gunneswaran or Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak.
Check our news, reports and reaction from all major tennis events by following us on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices or our Twitter account @skysportstennis.
