The World No. 1 has enjoyed immense success at the ATP 500 tournament, winning five titles (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2020). Against that background, the social media team at the Dubai Open saw fit to interview the Serb about his most exceptional campaigns in the Arab city.
In the video, Novak Djokovic fondly looked back at his most recent title-winning run in Dubai. The Serb claimed that the 2020 edition of the tournament was very special as it marked the first time his children had the opportunity to watch him ply his trade.
He also alluded to how he was forced to save three match points against Gael Monfils in the semifinals, before beating an in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the title the following day.
“I was struggling with my serve, so I had to work double as hard from the back of the court” - Novak Djokovic on his 2010 Dubai triumph
When asked about his 2010 Dubai campaign, Djokovic reminisced about how his finals clash against Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny dragged out over two days due to rain. He also recalled playing matches on back-to-back days throughout that week.
The 20-time Major winner then took a deep dive into how the medium-fast hardcourts of Dubai played, noting that his serve did him no favors back then. That, however, led the Serb to work even harder from the baseline. And it paid off in the end as he withstood Youzhny’s challenge in the championship match to win 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
Djokovic made his long-awaited return to action in Dubai earlier this week, dismantling Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets in his opener. The first-round match marked the Serb’s first appearance since the Davis Cup Finals last year.
The World No. 1 will next face World No. 26 Karen Khachanov in the second round. The Serb leads the Russian 4-1 in their head-to-head on the ATP tour.
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