Novak Djokovic dropped just three games in his 6-1 6-2 over Malek Jaziri in just 65 minutes to clinch his 700th career match win and reach the quarter finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Champioonships.
Djokovic did not play a perfect match as he converted just four of his 16 break points and made 25 unforced errors but he saved the only break point he faced in the final game and won 15 of his 18 second serve points.
Djokovic earned a third break point with a forehand pass crosscourt. He converted it to take a 3-1 lead as Jaziri sent a backhand into the net. Djokovic won 12 of the first 13 points on his serve to pull away to 4-1. He brought up three break points in the sixth game with his slice backhand and his topspin forehand. He got his second consecutive break in the sixth game for 5-1 as Jaziri made a double fault. Djokovic served out for the first set with a backhand down the line in 27 minutes. Djolovic won 16 of his 18 points on his serve in the first set.
Jaziri saved five break points to hold his serve after a nine-minute first game of the second set stopping a five-game losing streak. Djokovic broke serve to love in the third game to take a 2-1 lead with a crosscourt backhand return winner.
Jaziri saved a double break point chance with his first ace of the match in the fifth game. Djokovic held his service game to love in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead before converting the first of his two break point chances in the seventh game to open up a 5-2 lead. As Djokovic served for the match, he made a double fault on his first match point. The Serbian star then faced Jaziri’s first break point at deuce as he hit his backhand into the net but he saved it with his serve before hitting a forehand winner down the line to earn his second match point. The World Number 1 player sealed the win as Jaziri hit his forehand beyond the baseline.
Thanks to this win Djokovic continues his quest for his record-tying 18th consecutive final.
Only 12 players in history reach 700 career wins. Djokovic is the third active player to reach the milestone 700th career win following in the footsteps of Roger Federer (1067 wins) and Rafael Nadal (775 wins). Among past players there is Djokovic’s coach Boris Becker who joined the 700 wins “club” with 713 victories.
“Every milestone is special and it gives an extra incentive and motivation to play well. Being a part of the history books is a huge honour and is something that is always present even though you try not to focus all your attention on the record-breaking opportunities. You use it for motivation and to push yourself to give your best”, said Djokovic.
