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| Novak Djokovic/AP Images |
By Allie Leogrande
Having not played in a tournament since winning the Australian Open back in January, Djokovic started the Dubai tournament a little out of form. The number one ranked player in the world struggled in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships before coming away with the win against Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. Wednesday, Djokovic got a little help in the first set from Ukrainian opponent Sergiy Stakhovsky, as Stakhovsky gave up two unforced errors with a 4-3 first-set tiebreaker lead. After being down 3-1 in the second set, Djokovic won five straight games and defeated Stakhovsky 7-6 (5), 6-3. (Remember, men’s singles are usually best of five only in Majors and Davis Cup tournaments).
The Serbian, who has won the last three titles in Dubai, said his veteran experience was key in getting out of trouble during the match.
"The difference between the top players and maybe the lower-ranked players is actually those moments," Djokovic said of his comeback. "And managing to keep your composure and cope with the pressure and just focus, have an extra focus, mental strength."
Roger Federer defeated Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 7-5, 6-3, and Andy Murray came up with a win against Switzerland’s Marco Chiudinelli 6-3, 6-4. American Mardy Fish was not able to advance, losing to Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny 6-2, 7-6 (0).
Quarterfinal play begins today (March 1). Djokovic will play 7th ranked Janko Tipsarevic, Federer will play Youzhny, and Murray will play number five-ranked Tomas Berdych.
Meanwhile, Djokovic has been having fun with his Twitter followers. On February 28, he tweeted:
“I’d love to have photo with each of you 4 the biggest fan album in the world!”
He’s asking fans to tweet him pictures that were taken with him. If you want
to send in a picture, or want the latest personal updates from the number one
ranked tennis player in the world, follow @DjokerNole on Twitter!
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