World No.1 Novak Djokovic would be starting his quest for a staggering fifth title as the 28th edition of the highly popular ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships gets underway on the courts of Aviation Club Tennis Centre today. The Serb is no stranger to success on these courts, having lifted the trophy as many as four times before.
In fact, he even shares the record of most consecutive titles in Dubai with Roger Federer having collected a hat-trick of wins from 2011-13. But Djokovic's last victory came in 2013 and the planet's best player would be eager to end that seven-year title drought this time after starting the season with his eighth Australian Open triumph.
The top seed could not have asked for an easier start to his title challenge. Djokovic takes on the 260th-ranked Tunisian wildcard, Malek Jaziri - a player he mastered 6-1, 6-2 in their solitary face-off so far in Dubai four years ago. The 36-year-old, who has a career-high ranking of 42, has been plying his trade mostly on the Challenger Tour and has managed to win only one match this year.
Suffice to say, it isn't the kind of record one would like to face Djokovic with, especially after the kind of blistering form the Serb displayed on his way to his 17th Grand Slam title at the start of this month. This is a match in which the 32-year-old top seed would be looking to make a quick workout in order to save his energy for the tougher latter rounds.
Here's all you need to know about the ATP Dubai Tennis Championships 2020 Schedule:
Tournament: Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships 2020
Category: ATP 500
City: Dubai, UAE
Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre
Prize money: $2,950,420
Tournament schedule: February 24- February 29, 2020
Defending champion: Roger Federer
Match Schedule: (1) Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs (WC) Malek Jaziri (TUN) first round match not before 8:30 pm IST on Monday, February 24, 2020.
Where to watch the matches in India?
The ATP Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships 2020 matches will be telecast live on Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD from Monday, February 24, 2020.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships live stream details:
Live Stream will be available on Sony Liv.
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