Novak Djokovic hopes to get better in Dubai after long break

World No 2 and reigning champion beats Denis Istomin 6-3, 6-3 in the first round. John McAuley reports from Dubai.

Novak Djokovic has won the Dubai title four times. Pawan Singh / The National

DUBAI // It took Novak Djokovic all of one round, or rather one hour and 24 minutes, to wrap his hands around another trophy at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The defending champion had just returned to a competitive court for the first time since last month’s quarter-final exit at the Australian Open and stomped to a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Denis Istomin, the Uzbekistan world number 54, in the first round at the Aviation Club.

Djokovic then took his place at a post-match prize ceremony, as he has done four of the past five years in Dubai, and joined tournament organisers at a table displaying a giant cake. It marked a sweet occasion for what has become a serial winner of the ATP’s World Tour 500 tournament of the year award, the huge confectionery and accompanying trinkets commemorating its 2013 success.

It made it the 10th season in 11 that Dubai has been voted the players’ favourite outing at this level, rivalling possibly only Djokovic’s dogged dominance of the event.

Once the four-time Dubai champion had finished the presentation and the subsequent press briefing, he headed straight for a spot of belly dancing at the annual players’ party. “That’s the best part of the night,” he said.

He had provided a considerable highlight himself. Djokovic may have taken a while to shake off the rust accumulated by five weeks of significant downtime, but the crowd did not mind. The more minutes ogling one of the best in tennis the better.

A 7pm slot on centre court is, in Djokovic’s own words, “prime time”. As top seed here and world number two, he is made for it.

“I’ve got used to it over the years,” he said, then switching attention to what had just gone before. “It wasn’t as easy as the scoreline indicates. But having not played an official match for five weeks, obviously it takes its toll.

“I do feel it a bit, but I’ve practised a lot, put in a lot of hours trying to develop my game and trying to get myself in the right shape. It’s going to click sooner or later.”

Sooner, obviously, would be preferable as Djokovic has little time to refuel before he is back on centre stage on Wednesday against Roberto Bautista Agut, the Spaniard he defeated in Dubai last year. While careful not to underestimate his next opponent, Djokovic will use the encounter to help become evermore mentally attuned to the hurly-burly of tournament action.

“That’s going to come with playing more matches,” he said. “Hopefully I’m going to have five here, we’ll see. I’m going to take it one day at a time and see how far I can go.”

Additional reporting from Gary Meenaghan.

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