"Fantastic guy, I like him a lot" - Novak Djokovic commends 'habibi friend' Malek Jaziri as Tunisian is set to retire

Novak Djokovic has paid tribute to Tunisian tennis great Malek Jaziri, his "habibi friend" who is set to retire from professional tennis at this week's Dubai Tennis Championships. The Serbian ace expressed great admiration for Jaziri, lauding him for being the flag bearer of tennis in Tunisia over many years.

Jaziri, 39, will conclude a 20-year-long pro career this week. Jaziri, whose career-high ranking is No. 42 which he earned back in 2019 at the age of 35, has been one of the trailblazers in the sport in the North African and Arab regions.

Djokovic shed light on his camaraderie with Jaziri, someone he holds in high regard and considers a close friend.

"He is my ‘habibi friend’, I always called him that," the world No. 1 told Arab News. "He’s a fantastic guy, I like him a lot."

The Serb feels it is, in a way, fitting for Jaziri to end his career at the Dubai Tennis Championships, a tournament where has had some memorable wins, including a run to the 2018 semifinals en route to which he beat Grigor Dimitrov, Robin Haase, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

"I saw that he got a wildcard here, so it’s his last dance in this tournament, which is nice, because he had some big wins actually on this court in his career," the 22-time Grand Slam champion expressed.

Djokovic highlighted Jaziri's impact on tennis in his country Tunisia, further applauding the Dubai tournament organizers for giving Jaziri the chance to say goodbye by granting him a wildcard.

"He was one of the most important players coming from the Arab region in the past 10, 15 years. So it’s great that he got the wildcard. It’s very nice of the tournament to give him this last opportunity in a way, to say goodbye," he added.

Jaziri will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round in Dubai on Monday, while Djokovic faces Tomas Machac on Tuesday.

"He is going to find himself a great role in tennis" - Novak Djokovic feels Malek Jaziri will stay connected to tennis after retirement

Malek Jaziri in action at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships.

Novak Djokovic also said that he is confident Malek Jaziri will take up a role in the tennis world itself after retiring as a player. The 35-year-old hopes to see his good friend end his career on a high in Dubai and produce a memorable performance.

"I know he is going to find himself a great role in tennis in a different manner after his tennis career," the 10-time Australian Open winner stated.

"I look forward to watching him this week in Dubai. Hopefully he can put on a good quality match and a good show."

Jaziri, who is currently ranked No. 445 in the ATP rankings, last played in an ATP event back in July last year, albeit he lost in qualifying. His last ATP main draw appearance was in April 2022 in Marrakech.

Meanwhile, as a new week in the ATP rankings kicked off on Monday, Djokovic entered an all-time record 378th week at the summit of the rankings, breaking a tie with Steffi Graf.