Novak Djokovic starts 2022 by beating Lorenzo Musetti at the Dubai Championships

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic won in his first match of 2022 as he defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-3 to open the Dubai Championships on Monday.

Showing no signs of rust or mental baggage from the Australian Open Visa saga that rocked the sporting world, the 34-year-old put on a polished performance to advance to the second round, subsequently describing it as an “enjoyable experience”.

It was Djokovic’s first match of the year after his Australian Open hopes were dashed when he returned after an 11-day saga centered around his decision not to have a Covid-19 vaccination and a controversial exemption which he had been granted for attending the event.

“I couldn’t ask for better reception. It’s been a while since I played the last game and I couldn’t choose a better place to start the season,” said Djokovic, who has played in the Hadn’t played since November, he told fans after delivering his signature salute to all sides of the arena.

Djokovic will have a day off before meeting either Russia’s Karen Khachanov or Australia’s Alex de Minaur. Later asked by reporters how he was received by his teammates, he said they were “very friendly”.

“The majority of them actually greeted me and said it was nice to see me back on the tour,” he said. “It gives me a great feeling. I’m very grateful for that, because at least having that kind of understanding, I would say, if not the support from my peers and my peers, is very important to me because they’re the people I get to see more than sometimes my family.”

“The relationships we have are very important to me.”

While Djokovic had no issues being allowed to play in Dubai, he said he will not be able to play in Indian Wells at this time due to strict vaccination laws in the United States.

“I can’t play until today. But let’s see what happens. Maybe something will change in the next few weeks.”