Dubai Tennis Championships Day 1: Novak Djokovic delivers masterclass on return

After the women's tournament last week - which saw Jelena Ostapenko crowned champion - it's time for the men to take centre stage at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Monday's first round may be limited in quantity but it is stacked with quality as world No 1 Novak Djokovic makes his highly-anticipated start to the season as he bids to win a sixth title in Dubai. The Serb's first round match on Centre Court, against Italian wildcard Lorenzo Musetti, will follow former world No 1 Andy Murray's encounter against Australian qualifier Christopher O'Connell.

The day begins with former US Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia taking on Czech qualifier Jiri Vesely, before Tunisian wildcard Malek Jaziri faces Serbia's Filip Krajinovic. The other match of the day features Belgium's David Goffin up against Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel.

Novak Djokovic started his season in stunning style on Monday night as the world No 1 produced a masterclass to cruise past Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Djokovic, 34, was playing in his first match of the year following the visa controversy in Australia that resulted in the Serb being deported from the country on the eve of the Australian Open due to his unvaccinated status against Covid-19.

If there were any concerns Djokovic might struggle with a lack of match fitness - having not played a tournament since the Davis Cup in November - those were quickly dismissed as the top seed raced into the second round in Dubai with a routine 6-3, 6-3 victory in 75 minutes.

"It's been a while since I played a match and I couldn't ask for a better place to start the season," Djokovic said. "It's a straight sets win so I have to be satisfied with