The World No. 1 made a comeback last night in Dubai as he played his first official match of 2022.
The Serbian took on Italy’s Loreonzo Musetti in a thriller under the burning heat as he defeated him 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets. Novak looked to have not lost a single step as he slid his way across the court for outstanding returns.
Recently Nadal and Novak himself have compared Djokovic’s style to that of the current World No. 2 breathing down Novak’s neck and Australian Open finalist, Daniil Medvedev. Is a 2022 dream match on the cards this year with the likes of Djokovic, Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Nadal all in a tournament at the French Open possibly?
“A pleasant experience,” he said.
After thanking the crowd following his first match of 2022, Djokovic added: “I couldn’t pick a better place to kick start the season – it was the best possible experience tonight.
“All in all, it’s a straight-set win so of course I have to be satisfied, especially after not playing for two and a half, almost three months.”
“It’s always in the heat of battle, the atmosphere where you need to get that energy out. Sometimes you are frustrated with yourself, your game, the things that are happening.”
He later said he had received a “very friendly” welcome back to competition by the “majority” of players.
He added: “I’m very thankful for that because having the kind of an understanding at least, I would say, if not support from my peers and my colleagues, is very important to me because they are the people that I get to see sometimes more than my family.
“I care greatly about the relationships that we have.”