A day after becoming the most dominant world No 1 in history, Novak Djokovic can hardly have imagined his first task in Dubai would be to survive an arduous three-set scrap against an unheralded qualifier ranked 130th in the world. Yet Djokovic, whose 378th week at the top of the rankings eclipses the record established by Steffi Graf in 1997, was made to fight long and hard by Tomas Machac, a 22-year-old Czech with only nine tour-level wins to his name, before finally prevailing 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1) to preserve his unbeaten start to the season.
It was a stuttering return to action for the 35-year-old, whose first competitive appearance since last month’s Australian Open victory was blighted by 28 unforced errors. Only a late passage of excellence from Djokovic in the climactic tiebreak finally ended Machac’s stubborn resistance after two hours and 27 minutes. The 22-time grand slam champion, who applauded Machac off the court, knew he had been in a fight.
“It was unbelievable,” said Djokovic, who hailed the Czech’s courage and consistency. “He played [with] such high quality. He wasn’t missing at all.
“I had to earn this victory. I played a pretty much perfect tiebreak, some great shots. I found another gear when it mattered.”
The Serb, who is seeking a sixth title in Dubai, acknowledged that he was still feeling his way back from the hamstring injury that troubled him in the early rounds at Melbourne Park.
“Movement-wise, I think it was okay,” he said of his 13th straight victory. “Fitness-wise, not the best that I normally would feel. I think also [my] execution of the shots could have been better.
“I had some bigger drops than I would normally have in terms of shot-making, some uncharacteristic errors. I guess that’s part of the process of finding the timing, finding the tempo, finding the balance on the court.
“I wasn’t thinking about my leg today, which is great. It was not bothering me at all. That’s great news. But an injury is an injury. There’s a muscle memory and it plays with your mind a little bit, it plays with your biomechanics, with your preparation for the shot, execution [of] the shot.
“I do feel a difference, definitely, compared to the level that I had, and the kind of execution I had, in Australia. But it’s not that negative. Of course, there’s a lot to be happy about tonight. I think the fighting spirit was there. The tiebreak was as good as it can be.”
Given the virtuosity on show from Machac, it had to be. The quality and variety of the Czech’s shot-making were apparent from the first game, where he followed a blazing forehand winner with a beautifully finessed drop shot. As Djokovic struggled to find his trademark consistency, breaking in the fourth game only to relinquish his own serve with a pair of wayward forehands, Machac’s belief that he could live with his feted opponent became increasingly palpable. Though Djokovic soon regained the initiative and went on to serve out the opener to love, Machac began the second set in a more aggressive key and was immediately rewarded with a three-game lead.
The Czech is an elegant and capable volleyer – his girlfriend Katerina Siniakova, the world No 1 doubles player, would surely expect nothing less – and his willingness to attack the net added an extra dimension to his play as he stormed through the second set to level the contest. Having ventured into the forecourt only three times in the opener, Machac went forward nine times in the second set and 13 in the decider, winning a healthy 72% of his net points overall.
In time, Machac will surely improve on his career-best ranking of 97, but neither his tactical acumen nor an impressive recovery from 4-1 down in the final set could prevent Djokovic from marking his unprecedented dominance of the top ranking with another win.
“Being No 1 was always the ultimate goal,” said Djokovic, whose 378th week at the summit was marked with a small on-court ceremony after the match. “That is the ultimate achievement in tennis, without a doubt. I tried always to stay as long as I possibly can on that spot.
“I’m very obviously proud of this achievement. I’m 36 this year, so I just don’t think at the moment this is highest priority. I would like to stay healthy and prolong my career as much as I can to play [at] this highest level.”