Djokovic begins defence of Dubai Open title

Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic began his bid for a third successive Dubai title with a comfortable 6-3 6-3 win over France's Michael Llodra on Tuesday.

Back on court for the first time since he thrashed Andy Murray in Melbourne three weeks ago, the second seeded Serbian was barely troubled by an opponent who beat him on their previous meeting at the Paris Masters in November.

Choosing to serve and volley at every opportunity, Llodra provided an easy target for Djokovic to pass, and he also missed a number of balls at the net.

After holding a break point in the opening game Djokovic broke to lead 3-2 when Llodra made a backhand error, and he closed out the set with a second break at 5-3.

Djokovic then broke for 3-1 in the second set with a superbly struck winner threaded down the line, and after recovering from 0-40 to hold for a 5-2 lead he claimed victory with a second serve ace.

"I didn't know how I'm going to start the tournament after three weeks of not playing an official match, so I have to say I'm happy with the performance today," Djokovic told reporters.

"I think he didn't serve as well and as fast as our last match in Paris a couple of months back. But still, I was managing to return a lot of balls back and making him play an extra shot."

Djokovic has chosen to play doubles at several events in the next few weeks, partnering his older brother Marko in Dubai, Viktor Troicki at Indian Wells and Murray in Miami.

The purpose is to add another dimension to his game, coming to the net more often.

"One of the reasons playing doubles is to work on the serve and volley game and return," Djokovic said. "It's good. It helps. Hopefully I can have fun with it as well. I like playing doubles around.

"It's not easy after playing 23 years from the baseline you want to step into the court and go to the net a little bit. But, you know, I'm working on that variety in my game, using the serves well, and I did well today."

Meanwhile, Roger Federer, without a Grand Slam title for the first time in eight years, had little chance to indicate the likelihood of holding one again as he comfortably negotiated his first encounter since losing the Australian Open title three weeks ago.

Federer needed only 75 minutes to win 6-3, 6-3 against Somdev Devvarman, the world number 79 who had been given a wild card entry with an eye to his popularity with the large Indian ex-patriate population here.
It brought a partisan crowd and a full house which ensured that Federer had extra to overcome to make a successful start to his bid to regain a Dubai Open title he has already won four times.

There was rarely much doubt that he would progress with something to spare, even against an ambitious and improving and so well supported an opponent.
Only when Federer was interviewed on court and asked if his absence of Grand Slam titles meant it was the end of an era, did it became clear that most of the crowd were fans of him too, for they booed the question noisily.

When Federer replied: "The answer is -- I am playing here," it was greeted with great cheers.
"It doesn't stress me out," he added.
"I won the tour finals at the end of last year. Novak (Djokovic) was too good at the Australian Open and I can only respect that, and work on my game and hope that's enough.

"In any case this isn't about the Grand Slams - my focus is on Dubai."

Federer made many unforced errors for him -- more than 30 -- but also produced some inspired moments and served well when it mattered. He broke for 4-2 when Devvarman served a double fault which gave him a holdon the first set, and broke again in the fifth and ninth games of the second set.

Devvarman, a nimble counter-hitter, crafted himself two break points for 3-1 in the second set, but Federer saved the first with a heavy first delivery and the second with a trademark inside-out forehand drive.

He next plays Marcel Granollers of Spain who comfortably beat Dmitry Tursunov, the US-based Russian, and could have a quarter-final with Ernests Gulbis, a dangerously hard-hitting Latvian who troubled him in Doha a year ago.

Federer might even have a surprise semi-final with Gilles Simon, who won for the first time in eight attempts when he overcame Mikhail Youzhny, the fourth-seeded Russian.

Simon, the former world number six from France who is trying to battle back up the rankings after injury problems, showed great patience and superb defence in a 6-3, 7-5 win, despite letting slip a break of serve in the second set and allowing Youzhny to advance to 5-4.
"I was a little nervous because I don't play well against him," said Simon. "But I tried different tactics and it worked."

Seventh seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis lasted only 23 minutes against Kazak Andrey Golubev, losing the first four games before retiring with illness, and Serbian sixth seed Troicki was beaten 6-1 7-6 by Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.

Nikolay Davydenko has been struggling of late, but the Russian took just 57 minutes to overwhelm Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-2 6-0.