Dubai Tennis Championships: Novak Djokovic returns with win over Lorenzo Musetti
Novak Djokovic wins on his return to action after being involved in a visa and vaccination saga at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic wins on his return to action after being involved in a visa and vaccination saga at the Australian Open.
Andy Murray says he still feels he can “compete at the highest level” as he wins in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Novak Djokovic defeated #NextGenATP wild card Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-3 on Monday evening at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in his first match of the season.
The match proved more straightforward than his previous meeting with Musetti, which came in the fourth round at Roland Garros last year. In that encounter, a dramatic match in Paris, the Italian was forced to retire in the fifth set after holding a two-sets-to-love lead.
“All in all, it’s a straight-sets win, so of course I have to be satisfied with my tennis, especially after not playing for two-and-a-half, three months,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “Of course, there were moments when I played great, there were moments when I made a couple of unforced errors in a row uncharacteristically. But it’s normal to expect that [in my] first match after a while.
“I’m glad that I managed to finish out the job tonight in straight sets against a very talented player from Italy who possesses a lot of quality. Of course, he didn’t have much to lose and in windy conditions [it was] a bit tricky to play. But all in all, a very, very pleasant experience for me tonight.”
It was not a flawless performance from Djokovic, but he brought his best in the crucial moments, saving all seven break points he faced to extend his match record in Dubai to 42-6.
The first set hinged on the fourth and fifth games, Djokovic converting his second break point for 3-1 and then recovering from 0/40 to reinforce the break as his speed around court kept Musetti at bay.
The second set was not without its difficult moments for the top seed either, Musetti’s return game presenting a real threat as Djokovic fended off four break points to hold for 4-2.
“I was fortunate to find the right serves on those break points I faced in the sixth game of the second set,” Djokovic said. “That gave me huge relief obviously for the rest of the match.”
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It was nonetheless an accomplished first outing of 2022 for the 37-time ATP Masters 1000 winner, who struck 13 winners including five aces to seal victory in 74 minutes.
Djokovic needs to perform strongly this week to give himself the best possible chance of retaining his No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings, which is under threat from Daniil Medvedev (View World No. 1 Scenarios Here). Djokovic’s second-round opponent will be Russian Karen Khachanov or Australian Alex de Minaur.
Andy Murray has returned to winning ways in Dubai.
The former World No. 1 was made to work hard for victory on his first appearance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships since his title run in 2017, coming through a tough first-round clash with qualifier Christopher O’Connell on Monday.
A wayward Murray fell behind in his first meeting with the World No. 158 but kept his composure to run out a 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-5 winner in two hours and 51 minutes.
A cagey first set looked to be going the Australian’s way when forehand errors from the Scot helped him break for 5-4, but the Scot reacted immediately for a break of his own. The Australian stayed solid to take the tie-break 7/4, however, Murray growing frustrated with another unforced error on set point.
O’Connell has enjoyed his time in the Middle East, also qualifying for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha last week, and Murray was forced to up his level to get himself back into the match. He did so immediately, breaking in the first game of the second set and levelling the match with a second break.
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A deciding set of small margins saw Murray save four break points under pressure when serving at 4-4, and the World No. 89 saved his best for the end as a superbly controlled backhand winner brought up three match points on the O’Connell serve. The Brit converted the second to seal victory, with both players having hit 31 winners in an engrossing encounter.
Murray will look to secure his 700th career win in the second round in Dubai, where his opponent will be either World No. 43 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or fourth seed Jannik Sinner.
Carlos Alcaraz made history on Monday when he cracked the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time at World No. 20. No active player — including Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer — broke into the elite group at a younger age than Alcaraz, who is 18 years, nine months and 16 days old.
“It’s really good to be in the Top 20,” said Alcaraz, who accomplished the feat by becoming the youngest ATP 500 titlist in category history (since 2009) on Sunday at the Rio Open presented by Claro. “That was a goal for me at the end of the year, so to be able to do that at the beginning is amazing.”
Eleven active players have broken into the Top 20 as a teenager. The only other active player who did it aged 18 was Nadal, who was 18 years, 10 months and one day old when he reached No. 17 on 4 April 2005.
Youngest Active Players To Crack The Top 20
| Player |
Date Cracked Top 20 |
Age |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 21 Feb 2022 | 18y, 9m, 16d |
| Rafael Nadal | 4 Apr 2005 | 18y, 10m, 1d |
| Richard Gasquet | 20 June 2005 | 19y, 2d |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 19 Aug 2019 | 19y, 11d |
| Andy Murray | 21 Aug 2006 | 19y, 3m, 6d |
| Novak Djokovic | 9 Oct 2006 | 19y, 4m, 17d |
| Alexander Zverev | 17 Oct 2016 | 19y, 5m, 27d |
| Roger Federer | 26 Feb 2001 | 19y, 6m, 18d |
| Jannik Sinner | 19 Apr 2001 | 19y, 8m, 3d |
| Juan Martin del Potro | 11 Aug 2008 | 19y, 10m, 19d |
| Denis Shapovalov | 1 Apr 2019 | 19y, 11m, 17d |
Alcaraz is the youngest player to break into the Top 20 since Andrei Medvedev, who was 18 years, five months and one day old when he cracked the Top 20 on 1 February 1993.
It has been a rapid rise for Alcaraz, who was No. 406 in the ATP Rankings when he made his ATP Tour main draw debut in Rio de Janeiro two years ago.
There is nobody younger than Alcaraz in the Top 250. Holger Rune, the World No. 88, is six days older than the Spaniard. Italian Luca Nardi, an 18-year-old who is three months and one day younger than Alcaraz, is at a career-high World No. 283.
– Research assistance provided by Joshua Rey
No. 20 Carlos Alcaraz, +9 (Career High)
#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz has jumped nine spots and climbed into the Top 20 in the ATP Rankings for the first time. The 18-year-old made history at the Rio Open presented by Claro, becoming the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009. The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals titlist, who defeated Diego Schwartzman in the final, is the youngest active player to have reached the Top 20. Read Rio de Janeiro Final Report & Watch Highlights.
View Latest ATP Rankings
No. 12 Cameron Norrie, +1
The Brit has risen one place following his run to the title at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com. The 26-year-old overcame American Reilly Opelka in the championship match to capture his third tour-level crown. Norrie dropped just one set in Delray Beach and now holds a positive 6-5 record on the season. Read Delray Beach Final Report & Watch Highlights.
No. 19 Nikoloz Basilashvili, +3
The 29-year-old has returned to the Top 20 after he advanced to the final at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. The Georgian, who lifted the trophy at the ATP 250 event in 2021, lost to Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the championship match. Read Doha Final Report & Watch Highlights.
Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 13 Diego Schwartzman, +1
No. 15 Roberto Bautista Agut, +1
No. 16 Taylor Fritz, +1 (Career High)
No. 18 Reilly Opelka, +2 (Career High)
No. 53 Arthur Rinderknech, +8
No. 63 Miomir Kecmanovic, +7
No. 76 Francisco Cerundolo, +24 (Career High)
No. 80 John Millman, +11
Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini claimed their fourth tour-level doubles title together on Sunday evening when they defeated third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 7-5, 6-7(2), 10-6 to win the Rio Open presented by Claro.
The countrymen did double duty on Sunday, winning their semi-final against Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6(4), 6-2 earlier in the day. Fognini also played two singles matches Saturday, reaching the semi-finals before falling against eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
“Fabio is amazing, he was playing singles all week with a lot of delays because of rain, but did not give up on the doubles and here we are with the title,” Bolelli said.
The last time the pair had triumphed was at the 2015 Australian Open. Bolelli is a nine-time tour-level doubles titlist and Fognini has lifted six tour-level doubles trophies.
The Italians won 64 per cent of their second-serve points compared to 50 per cent for their opponents. Bolelli and Fognini saved four of the six break points they faced.
Murray and Soares were pursuing their first title of the season. Soares, a Brazilian, was trying to earn glory in Rio de Janeiro for the first time.
“Sorry for Bruno, I know how much it means for a Brazilian to win in Rio,” Fognini said. “I love playing here, the fans carried me all week, all the way to this title.”
British number one Cameron Norrie beats Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-4) in the ATP Delray Beach Open final.
Carlos Alcaraz earned his first ATP Tour match win as a 16-year-old at the Rio Open presented by Claro two years ago. At the same tournament on Sunday, the 18-year-old Spaniard made more history.
The seventh-seeded Alcaraz defeated third-seeded Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-2 to become the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009. It is the second tour-level title of the teen’s career following his breakthrough in Umag last year.
“I can’t believe it, honestly. It has been a great week for me playing a great level,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “First tournament on clay since a long time, so I’m really happy with the performance during the whole week. It’s an amazing feeling right now.”
When Alcaraz stunned countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Rio de Janeiro two years ago, he was No. 406 in the ATP Rankings. With his big win Sunday, the teen is projected to climb into the Top 20 for the first time.
After Schwartzman missed a final forehand return one hour and 27 minutes into the final, Alcaraz fell to his knees in celebration. The reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion overwhelmed World No. 14 Schwartzman with his power and fearless play, winning 12 of the final 16 games on Quadra Guga Kuerten.
Alcaraz converted five of his six break points in the match. Overall, he won 55 per cent of his return points to put constant pressure on his veteran opponent.
The pivotal moment came at 4-4 in the opener. Schwartzman, who played more than five-and-a-half hours of tennis Saturday due to rain earlier in the week, battled hard to maintain contact with the seventh seed. But Alcaraz hit a stunning backhand passing shot from well behind the baseline to earn the deciding break of the set. From there, he seemed in control of the match.
The Spaniard immediately broke in the second set, but Schwartzman refused to go down without a fight, striking back in the next game. Alcaraz was determined as the rain began to fall in the Rio night, breaking again with a rocket-like forehand that the Argentine was unable to handle.
Like he did two years ago against Ramos-Vinolas, Alcaraz showed maturity beyond his years. Instead of letting the pressure of the moment get to him, he used his power, drop shots and trips to the net to finish the job.
“I think this is my game. It’s a lot of variety. It’s the key [to how] I won the match,” Alcaraz said. “I know how Diego plays and this was really important for me.”
It was an impressive week from Alcaraz, who lost his first set of the tournament on Tuesday against Jaume Munar by a lopsided 6-2 margin. But after that, the Spaniard played sensational tennis to shine on the South American clay.
Due to rain, he had to face two tough Italians — top seed Matteo Berrettini and former Top 10 star Fabio Fognini — on Saturday. But Alcaraz defeated Berrettini in three sets and Fognini in straight sets to reach the final. Once there, Alcaraz brought his best to take down the third seed.
Schwartzman, who lifted the Rio de Janeiro trophy in 2018, was pursuing his fifth ATP Tour title. The Argentine also reached the final in Buenos Aires last week.
“I think the South American clay season gives me a lot of confidence, points and rhythm,” Schwartzman said. “After Australia, I went back home not feeling very well. Physically I finished not in the best way in the first tournaments of the year. But then I made the semi-finals and two finals in South America, losing against I think the best opponents every tournament.”