The 34-year-old showed no sign of rust or mental baggage from the Australian Open visa saga that rocked the sports world, producing a polished display to ease into the second round, afterwards describing it as a "pleasant experience."
World number one Novak Djokovic made a late start to his 2022 campaign with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti at the Dubai Championships on Monday.
The 34-year-old showed no sign of rust or the mental baggage from the Australian Open visa saga that shook the sporting world, producing a polished performance to rest in the second round, later calling it a "pleasant experience". described.
It was Djokovic's first match of the year when his Australian Open hopes were dashed when he was relegated after an 11-day saga that revolved around his decision not to have a COVID-19 vaccination And there was a controversial exemption that he was given to play in the event.
After spending several days in a hotel requiring two court hearings before Djokovic was expelled on January 16, the country's immigration minister ruled that he could fuel anti-vaccination sentiment if allowed to compete. Huh.
Back on a tennis court at Dubai's Aviation Club, Djokovic showed why he would be the favorite to win the 10th Australian Open crown and beat Rafa Nadal for a men's record 21st Grand Slam title.
After being cheered on the court by the late-night crowd, he went through gear, breaking Musetti's serve in the fourth game of the regular first set.
Looking at his team including wife Jelena, Djokovic got an early break in the second set with a forehand winner.
He staggered briefly while serving at 3–2 and was forced to save a break point, but never saw a threat as his supporters, along with several Serbian flags, cheered on their winners.
Djokovic produced a brilliant forehand winner in the final game and claimed victory on his first match point.
Even if he manages to win the Dubai title for the sixth time, he could lose the world number one ranking this week if Russia's Daniil Medvedev wins the Acapulco title.
But for Djokovic enjoying an ATP record 361st week as number one, it was the last thing on his mind as he left behind one of the darkest episodes of his career.
Djokovic, who hasn't played since the Davis Cup finals, said: "I couldn't have asked for a better reception. It's been a long time since the last match and there couldn't have been a better place to start the season." November, told fans after giving his trademark salute to all sides of the arena.
Djokovic, who told the BBC last week that he was not against vaccines but was prepared to miss major tournaments instead, will have a day off before facing Russian Karen Khachanov or Australian Alex de Minaur.
Later asked by reporters how his fellow players welcomed him, he said he was "very friendly".
"Most of them really welcomed me and said it was nice to see me back on tour," he said. "It makes me feel great. I'm very grateful for it because the kind of understanding that is, at least I would say, very important to me, if not the support from my peers and my colleagues, because they are the people who I meet sometimes to see more than my family."
"I care deeply about the relationships that we have."
While Djokovic had no problem being allowed to play in Dubai, he said he would not currently be able to play at Indian Wells due to strict vaccine laws in the United States.
"As of today I haven't been able to play. But let's see what happens. Maybe things change in the next few weeks."