Malek Jaziri, 39, will end his two-decade career as a professional tennis player in Dubai next week. The former top-50 player will retire at one of his favorite events, receiving a wild card and entering the main draw in Dubai for the tenth time.
World number 1 Novak Djokovic will watch Jaziri’s first round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, calling him “habibi friend” and wishing him the best for the future. Additionally, Djokovic thanked the organizers for allowing the veteran to have one more ride at the event where he faced him, Andy Murray and Roger Federer.
Malek is one of the most dedicated Davis Cup players, he made his debut in 2000 and has achieved more than 50 victories for his country. Djokovic and Jaziri met twice in Dubai. The Serb scored a 6-1, 6-2 win in the second round in 2016 and repeated four years later.
It took Novak an hour to beat Malek in the first round in 2020, keeping everything under control and securing his 17th straight win. Djokovic let ten points slip away on the fast hard court and never faced a break point. The Serb stole more than half of the return points and converted them into four breaks.
Djokovic needed 28 minutes to clinch the opening set, letting five points slip from his games and earning two breaks in five chances to control the pace. Malek broke in the second game on the third breaking opportunity offered to Novak, calling for a misguided challenge to find himself 2-0 down.
Djokovic cemented the lead with a dropshot in the third game and scored another break when Jaziri netted a slice backhand. Novak hit four service winners in game five and repeated at 5-1 to close out the opener in style. Malek held after a deuce early in the second set, and Novak leveled the score at 1-1 after a routine forehand into the net.
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Novak Djokovic admitted that he had never imagined he would one day spend more than seven years as the World No. 1. “I could not have imagined it at that point, to be honest. I was dreaming as a kid to be Wimbledon champion, to be No.
1 in the world. I achieved those dreams [in] 2011. After that, of course, I wanted more. I still want more achievements,” Djokovic said. The 22-time Grand Slam champion also spoke about his permission request to the United States government to play in the upcoming Sunshine Double.
“In terms of the process in America, no, I have not received anything new comparing to what I said to the media in Belgrade some days ago. Right now it’s the same situation,” he said.
