Novak Djokovic cruises to the second round of Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2011
Defending champion Novak Djokovic completely overwhelmed his opponent Michael Llodra in straight sets in the first round of the ongoing Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2011.
The Australian Open 2011 champion started the match in a fine fashion. He took the first set 6-3 with a serve break in the fifth game. The second set opened on a similar note for the Serbian as he broke Llodra’s serve once more in the fourth game to complete
his 6-3, 6-3 win in just over an hour. Djokovic now also leads their head-to-head record by 2-1.
Michael Llodra had defeated the world number three in straight sets in their previous meeting on a fast-paced indoor court at Paris in 2010 but unluckily for the Frenchman, he was nowhere near as effective on a medium-paced outdoor court where Djokovic had
more time to pick up his flat groundstrokes.
Djokovic has an impressive record at this tournament, winning the title in 2009 and 2010. He had a tough path to the final in the previous edition of the tournament as he defeated top players like Ivan Ljubicic, Marcos Baghdatis, Victor Troicki and Mikhail
Youzhny in hard-fought battles. He then defeated both Roger Federer and Andy Murray in straight sets to enjoy possibly the best two weeks of his career.
His straight set win in the first round match against a high profile player like Michael Llodra will certainly give him the confidence and momentum that he will require in later stages of the competition.
Swiss Roger Federer is also participating in the tournament. The world number two and arguably the greatest player of all time will be hoping to avenge his defeat at the hands of the Serbian earlier at the Australian Open.
In a press conference he commented, “I didn't spend much time thinking about the match against Novak,” said Federer. “I generally thought about the first month, how it had gone. I came out of the Australian Open feeling good mentally and physically.”
Seeing his current form and physical fitness, Djokovic will be certainly the man to beat in the tournament.
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