ATP TENNIS NEWS UPDATE AS NOVAK DJOKOVIC IS EAGER TO PLAY IN DUBAI

Written by: Staff on 21st February 2016

ATP TENNIS NEWS UPDATE AS NOVAK DJOKOVIC IS EAGER TO PLAY IN DUBAI

epa04636921 Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns the ball to Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan during the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis ATP Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 25 February 2015. EPA/ALI HAIDER |

Djokovic: “I Am Eager To Come Back”

World No. 1 in familiar surroundings and eager to win

Novak Djokovic returns to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships hoping to extend his run of form that has seen him reach seven straight finals. Since he claimed a record-tying sixth Australian Open title (d. Murray) on 31 January, the World No. 1 has spent his downtime with his wife, Jelena, and son, Stefan.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time with my wife and child, leaving my racquet on the side,” Djokovic told reporters on Sunday. “It’s important to re-group, in order to prepare for the next three or four months. I went two weeks without touching a racquet… I am eager to come back and compete. I missed it.

“What I take out of the Australian Open is the last three matches. It makes me feel very pleased that after a tough fourth round in five sets [versus Gilles Simon], I was able to play the best tennis when it was needed. It satisfies me very much. You expect to be emotionally and physically exhausted at the end of a Grand Slam, but I felt very consistent, strong and solid.”

Djokovic is playing in Dubai for the 10th year in a row (34-5 record). He enters the ATP World Tour 500 tournament on 698 tour-level match wins and he’ll be bidding to lift the trophy for the fifth time (also 2009-11, ’13).

The Serbian has advanced to 17 straight finals, dating back to the 2015 Australian Open final, equalling Roger Federer’s mark (2005-06). He’s won 13 of his past 17 title matches and is now one final appearance away from tying Ivan Lendl’s record of 18 straight in 1981-82.

When asked about his dominance, Djokovic admitted, “It doesn’t surprise me. I expect a lot from myself. I put a lot of dedication in to get the results that I’ve had. I try to approach each tournament optimistically and I believe I can win every match that I can play, on any surface. The results I’ve had and the tournaments I’ve won over the past couple of years give me enough reason to be optimistic.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic during their semi final match of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis ATP Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 27 February 2015. EPA/ALI HAIDER

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I try not to be over-confident, as I have lots of respect for other players and I realise I’m not the only one who wants to be World No. 1. But being at the peak of my career at the moment, I’m trying to use this momentum that I have, take everything out of myself, and achieve more. To what extent? Where is it going? I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it too much… I’d still like to keep the same approach and philosophy that I’ve had, being in the present and only focusing on the next tournament.”

Djokovic begins his Dubai campaign against Tommy Robredo on Monday. He leads Robredo 6-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but the Spaniard won their last meeting at 2014 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati.

( Courtesy of the ATP and Original Link – http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/djokovic-dubai-2016-sunday-preview )

Topics: Atp Tennis, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Novak Djokovic, Tennis News