"I had both of my children watching my match and celebrated with them after" - Novak Djokovic on his 2020 Dubai Open triumph
The Twitter handle of the Dubai Tennis Championships recently posted a short video of Novak Djokovic looking back at his title-winning runs in the Arab city in 2010 and 2020.
The World No. 1 has enjoyed immense success at the ATP 500 tournament, winning five titles (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2020). Against that background, the social media team at the Dubai Open saw fit to interview the Serb about his most exceptional campaigns in the Arab city.
In the video, Novak Djokovic fondly looked back at his most recent title-winning run in Dubai. The Serb claimed that the 2020 edition of the tournament was very special as it marked the first time his children had the opportunity to watch him ply his trade.
"I was coming to Dubai very confident, I liked my chances and had my family here. It was actually the first time I had both of my children watching my match and celebrated with them after the match," the Serb said. "So it was a very very dear and special moment for me."
He also alluded to how he was forced to save three match points against Gael Monfils in the semifinals, before beating an in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the title the following day.
"I nurture it for a long time. I saved match points against Monfils in the semifinals. He was in the driver's position, really. For most of that match. He was the better player, and then somehow managed to find the right shots and turn the match around, have a really good third set," he added. "Came a day later, just playing my best tennis against Stefanos. Who was of course in form."
"I was struggling with my serve, so I had to work double as hard from the back of the court" - Novak Djokovic on his 2010 Dubai triumph
When asked about his 2010 Dubai campaign, Djokovic reminisced about how his finals clash against Russia's Mikhail Youzhny dragged out over two days due to rain. He also recalled playing matches on back-to-back days throughout that week.
"It was the year I played finals against Youzhny, and that had to be played over two days," the World No. 1 said. "Because of the rain, that was the toughest win I had at the tournament of all the wins that I had had. I don't only mean against Youzhny but 4 matches in a row, as you mentioned."
Rain, serves and lots of hard work! A look back at the last 30 years with Novak Djokovic. 😎
@DjokerNole
#DDFTennis #ATPTour @atptour https://t.co/MaTjrAiqog
The 20-time Major winner then took a deep dive into how the medium-fast hardcourts of Dubai played, noting that his serve did him no favors back then. That, however, led the Serb to work even harder from the baseline. And it paid off in the end as he withstood Youzhny's challenge in the championship match to win 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
"The surface plays very quick here, so if you're playing a big server, it's a big advantage for someone serving well. Because it's tough to return, there's a lot of short points under two, three shots..." Djokovic said. "So you really gotta be at your best from early on. So I remember at that time I was struggling with my serve, I wasn't serving so well. I wasn't getting too many free points so I had to work double as hard from the back of the court."
Djokovic made his long-awaited return to action in Dubai earlier this week, dismantling Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets in his opener. The first-round match marked the Serb's first appearance since the Davis Cup Finals last year.
The World No. 1 will next face World No. 26 Karen Khachanov in the second round. The Serb leads the Russian 4-1 in their head-to-head on the ATP tour.