Returning is not something with which Novak Djokovic normally has a problem. This, though, was a giant leap into the unknown.
No one could have anticipated how the world No 1 would be received on his first appearance since being deported from Australia last month, and less than a week after conducting an interview with the BBC that many have since dismissed as a PR exercise. But Djokovic was cheered on to court at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where the locals were chanting his name and waving Serbian flags before a ball had even been struck. Five titles clearly buy you a lot of goodwill in these parts.
Djokovic opened his bid for a sixth against Lorenzo Musetti, the gifted Italian teenager who stormed into a two-set lead against him at Roland Garros last year before succumbing to injury. It was not the easiest of draws, and Djokovic was given an unceremonious reminder of how the early stages of their only previous encounter had unfolded when the 58th-ranked Musetti opened with a pair of blazing winners.
This time, though, Djokovic was quick to steady the ship. He made balls, he maintained an immaculate length, he established control early in the baseline exchanges. There was the odd aberration – a miscued backhand that careered off towards the front row, a few forehands that flew uncontrollably long or wide – but what Djokovic lacked in sharpness, he more than made up for in focus and intensity as he ran out a 6-3, 6-3 winner.
“I was feeling great, obviously, to get that kind of reception and welcome from the crowd,” said Djokovic after his first competitive match since early December.
“With everything that was happening, I didn’t know how it was going to unfold for me on the court, how I was going to feel.
“Certainly, circumstances are different, [what with] everything that has happened in the last month and a half. So I was really looking forward to step out on the court.
“I think Dubai is a perfect place for me to start a season because of the support and the fans that showed up and really cheered me on. Big Serbian community as well. Very nice to see Serbian flags around.”
Djokovic will certainly encounter more testing atmospheres, but here his difficulties were limited principally to a nip-and-tuck service game as he battled to preserve an early break at 3-2 in the second set. The Serb, who struggled at times to find his customary fluency on serve, had already recovered from 0-40 down midway through the first set, and here he was subjected to another stern examination. Three times Musetti held a break point; three times Djokovic denied him, finding penetrating first deliveries just when he most needed them. Otherwise calm and composed throughout, Djokovic roared at his box as he fought to maintain his advantage. He declined to reveal afterwards whether his impassioned outbursts were directed more towards himself or his team.
“I’m very pleased with the way I managed to hold my nerves in the crucial moments when I was facing break points,” said Djokovic. “I know I can always do better in terms of the quality of tennis. There’s some moments where I felt like I played really well, some moments where I was just losing the rhythm on my serve. I had a low percentage of first serves in. Of course, for the next match there’s always more to work on and improve.”
Also seeking to improve before his next match is Andy Murray, who was detained for almost three hours before he finally subdued the Australian qualifier Chris O’Connell 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 7-5. Murray, who found the court with just 44% of his first serves in the opening set, cut a frustrated figure as the 158th-ranked O’Connell seized the early initiative. But the former world No 1 fought his way back into contention and fended off four break points in the ninth game of the decider to seal a restorative victory following his thrashing by Roberta Bautista Agut in Qatar last week.
“I made it very difficult for myself out there,” said Murray, who will face either fourth seed Jannik Sinner or Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the next round as he pursues a landmark 700th career win.
“At the end I was trying to be more positive in terms of my emotion like when I played a good point. It was a struggle out there. Yeah, just relief to get over the line. I did a great job to win that match. It would have been very easy for me to have lost.”
Murray responded to an inquiry about the source of his continued motivation by pointing out that he has shown he can still compete with the world’s best, even if a lack of consistency has proved his undoing since he underwent hip resurfacing surgery three years ago.
“I have goals, and I still believe I can play much better,” said Murray, who has been without a full-time coach since he parted ways with Jamie Delgado at the end of last year.
“Since I came back from the hip surgery, I’ve won against [Alexander] Zverev, [Matteo] Berrettini, [Cameron] Norrie, [Hubert] Hurkacz, [Carlos] Alcaraz. There’s a number of guys that are currently in like the top 25, top 30 in the world. I think I’ve beaten 12 or 13 of them since I came back.
“The consistency certainly has not been there. I’m totally aware of that. But there has been times where I played well. The last sort of seven, eight months has been tough. I want to try and get my coaching situation sorted.
“There’s a reason why, mostly, guys on the tour travel with coaches. Having some consistency and continuity there I think will help me get a bit of consistency back.”