Novak Djokovic won on his return to the ATP Tour following his Australian Open triumph but he had to work hard to beat Czech qualifier Tomas Machac 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(1) in his Dubai Tennis Championships opener on Tuesday (Feb 28).
Djokovic, who surpassed Steffi Graf's record for the most weeks as world number one after starting his 378th at the top of the rankings, moved with ease and showed no lingering effects of the hamstring tear he managed at Melbourne Park last month.
But there were some signs of rust especially on Djokovic's serve, which seemed to fail him midway through the opening set, before he regained control and took the early advantage in the match when Machac sent a return long.
The five-times Dubai champion was in a spot of bother while trailing 3-0 in the next set after dropping serve again and made 16 unforced errors to allow big-hitting Machac to take the contest into a decider.
Machac began to struggle with a right wrist issue early in the third set and Djokovic pounced for a 3-1 lead but the Czech mounted a comeback with a break of his own to level at 4-4 with some superb ball-striking along the way.
Machac blinked first in the tiebreak and Djokovic did not need another invitation as he finally quelled the world number 130 to extend his 2023 winning streak to 13 matches.
"Tomas didn't play like a world number 130. He played great tennis and deserves all the applause. He was giving me all kinds of trouble but when it mattered most I found another gear," Djokovic said.
"Physically I can be better. I demand the highest standards in quality of tennis and preparation. I have struggled with an injury and needed some time. But I'm hoping as the tournament progresses that I can raise the level of tennis as well."
Djokovic next plays Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands.
Rotterdam and Doha champion Daniil Medvedev, the third seed, had earlier eased into the next round after dispatching Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-2.
Felix Auger-Aliassime had a tougher outing against American Maxime Cressy but the fourth seed prevailed 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3 while Melbourne semi-finalist Karen Khachanov crashed to Botic van de Zandschulp who sealed a 7-5, 6-2 win.
