Tennis Superstar Novak Djokovic has entered its late season with a victory in his late season. After his noisy expulsion from Australia for missing corona vaccine, the Serbe defeated the Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the first round of the ATP tournament in Dubai on Monday with 6: 3, 6: 3.

In his first official match since the beginning of December, Djokovic was still looking for his rhythm, he sometimes bugged balls, which he otherwise transformed safely to point. In the first sentence Djokovic had to ward off three break balls at its own premium against the number 58 of the world rankings, after 37 minutes he brought the passage home.

From the ranks were always occasional "Nole, Nole" calls to hear. Also in the second sentence, everything did not ran smoothly at the high favorite. His success was never at risk.

"Thank you for being so welcome to me in the square," Djokovic said, "Under the line is a smoother two-point victory. I have to be satisfied with my tennis, especially after I did not play for almost three months. "

Djokovic meets the Australian Alex de Minaur or Karen Chatschanov from Russia in the second round. The 20-color Grand Slam winner may hurt in Dubai because the local authorities do not require a vaccination certificate for entry.

Djokovic could lose first place

"Most players have welcomed me positively and warmly. Of course, that makes me happy," said Djokovic. In Serb television, the controversial tennis star announced, after the turbulent start of the year "to channel all this energy and convert them into spiritual and physical fuel. This is certainly an additional motivation."

Djokovic is in its 361th week as a number one of the tennis world, but he could lose the top position in the coming days to Daniil Medvedev. The Russian US Open winner will take over the top in the ranking for the first time next Monday, when he wins the parallel tournament in Mexican acapulco. There, however, Olympic champion Alexander Zverev (Hamburg) and the Spanish Australian Open Champion Rafael Nadal reported.

"He deserves to be the number one," said Djokovic on Sunday about his pursuer: "If it happens this week, I will be the first who congratulates him."

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