Speaking at a press conference before his opener against Lorenzo Musetti, the World No. 1 considered the idea of winning three more titles in Dubai “quite a longshot.” At 34, Djokovic was unsure if he would be able to retain the level of tennis necessary in the coming years to challenge Federer’s record.

Coming to the task at hand, the Serb was excited about his encounter against Musetti. He referred to the Italian as a “very talented and tricky” opponent, but hoped to get a positive result under his belt to begin with.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion was of the opinion that the courts in Dubai were faster than in previous seasons, and noted that serving well would be of paramount importance this year. However, Djokovic did not want to think too far ahead and wanted to take it one match at a time.

A look back at Roger Federer’s 8 titles at the Dubai Tennis Championships

Roger Federer won his first title at the Dubai Tennis Championships back in 2003, defeating Jiri Novak in the final. It was the top seed’s 10th ATP tour title and he won the tournament without dropping a set.

The former World No. 1 triumphed over the next two years as well to complete a hat-trick, defeating Feliciano Lopez and Ivan Ljubicic respectively in the finals. In 2006, Federer lost to Rafael Nadal in the final but came back stronger the next year, defeating Mikhail Youzhny in the final to win his fourth title.

The fifth championship came five years later in 2012, where he defeated Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals and Andy Murray in the final. After falling at the penultimate hurdle the next year, the World No. 29 triumphed two years on the trot with victories over Tomas Berdych and Novak Djokovic in their respective finals.

Federer’s eighth and most recent title came in 2019. Seeded second in the tournament, the 20-time Grand Slam champion beat fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final to lift his 100th ATP tour title. In the process, the Swiss became the second man in history to win 100 ATP singles titles, the first being Jimmy Connors.

Also Check Out: Dubai Tennis Championships Results 2022

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