Djokovic Makes A Strong Defending Statement

© Dubai Duty Free Tennis ChampionshipsNovak Djokovic played his first match since lifting his second Australian Open trophy.

Davydenko smashes his way through to next round

Defending champion Novak Djokovic made a winning start as he began the defence of his Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title on Tuesday by defeating Frenchman Michael Llodra 6-3 6-3.

The second seeded Serb did not take the match lightly after he fell to Llodra at their last meeting, in Paris late last year. But he signalled intentions right from the first game, holding a break point and then breaking to lead 3-2 when Llodra struck a backhand volley long. He then closed out the set with a second break when Llodra hit the ball long.

Djokovic, who began the year by winning his second Australian Open title, continued to hold the advantage in the second set, breaking to lead 3-2 with a beautifully struck winner down the line. His only anxious moment came when leading 4-2 when Llodra held three breakpoints, but Djokovic held off that threat and went on to claim victory in 63 minutes.

"I didn't know how I'm going to start the tournament after three weeks of not playing an official match," said Djokovic. "so I have to say I'm happy with the performance today. I think he didn't serve as well and as fast as our last match in Paris couple months back. But still, I was managing to return a lot of balls back and making him play an extra shot.

"I was playing well last couple of days in the practices. It was good that I came here five days prior to the first match. So it's good preparation."

In another early match on Tuesday, former top five player Nikolay Davydenko swept to a 6-2 6-0 win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in just 57 minutes.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, continues until February 26th with players including Australian Open and reigning Dubai champion Novak Djokovic and four-time Dubai winner Roger Federer. Tickets to see the stars in action, for most days, can still be purchased online at www.timeoutickets.com