(CNN)World No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-3 in his first match of the year at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday.
A month after his deportation from Australia ahead of the Australian Open, Djokovic returned to loud cheers in Dubai for a tournament he had previously won five times.
And it took him just an hour and 14 minutes to seal the win over 19-year-old Musetti and set up a second-round meeting with either Karen Khachanov or Alex de Minaur, who play on Tuesday.
“I couldn’t ask for better reception. It’s been a while since I played the last game – I couldn’t choose a better place to start the season,” Djokovic later said in his on-pitch interview.
“It was the best experience possible tonight and thank you for your support and welcoming you onto the pitch like you did.”
Djokovic was embroiled in controversy when he arrived in Australia in January without a valid Covid-19 vaccination exemption.
He was later deported and missed a chance to defend his Australian Open title and win a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title.
Instead, it was Rafael Nadal who pulled off the feat, moving away from Djokovic and Roger Federer at the top of the all-time list for men’s Grand Slam singles titles.
Ahead of Monday’s game in Dubai, Djokovic told reporters that “there were a lot of emotions after coming back from Australia, so I needed a little time to think and just mentally rest.”
The Serb came out against Italy’s Musetti, breaking his opponent in the fourth game of the first set to take a 3-1 lead.
He then had to save three break points from 0-40 in the following game before completing the first set.
Djokovic broke Musetti again early in the second set to put the game firmly under control, although he also had to save more break points as the set progressed – seven in total over the course of the game.
A third break from Musetti’s serve at 5-3 sealed the win.
“All in all, it’s a win in straight sets, so of course I have to be happy with my tennis, especially after not playing for two and a half, almost three months,” said Djokovic.
“There were moments where I played great, there were moments where I uncharacteristically made a couple of unforced mistakes in a row. But it’s normal to expect that for a while in the first game.”
Djokovic has spent a record 361 weeks as world no. 1 but he could lose his place at the top of the rankings if Daniil Medvedev wins the Mexican Open in Acapulco this week – even with a win in Dubai.
The 34-year-old said ahead of Monday’s game he would be “the first to congratulate Medvedev” if the Russian took his place as world no.
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