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If Novak Djokovic relinquishes the No. 1 ATP Rating to Daniil Medvedev on 28 February, the Serbian will probably be completely happy for his rival.
“It is in his palms. He deserves to be No. 1,” Djokovic stated Sunday earlier than his season debut on the Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Championships. “Finally it is going to occur. If it occurs this week, I will be the primary one to congratulate him.”
The World No. 1 will start his 361st week atop males’s tennis’ mountain on Monday. If Medvedev lifts the Acapulco trophy, he’ll ascend to No. 1 the week of 28 February (Learn all scenarios here).
For his half, Djokovic is solely focussing on what he can management in Dubai, the place he owns a 41-6 file.
“The one situation that I’ve in my head is to win each match that I play right here,” Djokovic stated.
The 34-year-old first performed the match in 2007 and has by no means failed to succeed in the quarter-finals. Djokovic is a five-time Dubai titlist, most lately triumphing in 2020, when he earned consecutive High 10 wins towards Gael Monfils and Stefanos Tsitsipas to emerge victorious.
“It’s nice to be right here. I’ve had some great outcomes on this match. It has been some time since I performed for the primary time in [the] Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Championships,” Djokovic stated. “[I have] many great recollections on and off the courtroom.”
It’s a star-studded ATP 500, with all eight seeds contained in the world’s High 20. Marseille champion Andrey Rublev is the second seed and Rotterdam winner Felix Auger-Aliassime is seeded third.
There are additionally loads of robust unseeded gamers within the draw, together with former World No. 1 Andy Murray, former World No. 3 Marin Cilic and former World No. 8 Karen Khachanov, who might probably play Djokovic within the second spherical in the event that they each make it that far.
“It is all the time a really stable, very arduous draw and area. Each match you get to play is admittedly on a Grand Slam, ATP Masters 1000 stage. It’s a 500 class, but it surely feels that it is stronger than that undoubtedly with the sphere of gamers,” Djokovic stated. “I’m excited. I have never performed a match since Davis Cup in Spain final December. Cannot wait to begin an official match tomorrow night time.”
Photograph Credit score: Francois Nel/Getty Pictures
On Monday night, Djokovic will play 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Subsequent Gen ATP Finals competitor Lorenzo Musetti. Will probably be the Serbian’s first match of the season.
“In fact, [my] first match goes to be crucial to type of begin off the marketing campaign on this 12 months’s match in a optimistic method,” Djokovic stated. “I’ve a younger, very proficient, difficult opponent in Lorenzo Musetti, who has had an enormous win over [Hubert] Hurkacz a number of weeks in the past in Rotterdam.”
Djokovic’s solely earlier ATP Head2Head conflict towards Musetti got here within the fourth spherical at Roland Garros final 12 months. The Italian took a two-set lead earlier than the eventual champion stormed again to pressure a decider. At 0-4 within the fifth set, Musetti retired.
“We performed a troublesome five-setter clearly in Roland Garros. Clay, completely different circumstances. He likes the extra bouncy circumstances,” Djokovic stated. “I feel that this courtroom is taking part in very fast, truly the quickest I ever skilled the floor right here in Dubai. It was all the time quick, however loads of gamers that I talked to have been saying the identical factor — it’s totally, very quick.
“Clearly for those who serve properly, it is a massive benefit. I am hoping that I can get the great begin of the match, hopefully good environment on the stadium. I am undoubtedly motivated and impressed to play my greatest tennis. We’ll take sooner or later at a time and see how far I can [go].”
from Tennis – ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/3gt2dmy
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