Djokovic returns with a win in Dubai
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Playing his first tennis in a time defending champion Novak Djokovic returned round victory Monday at the $1.7 million Dubai Championships.
Djokovic, who had been idle since capturing the Australian Open title last month, blew past German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 6-4, 6-2 on the hardcourts at Dubai Tennis Stadium. The Serbian star currently holds three of the four Grand Slam titles.
The high-flying Djokovic topped Roger Federer in last year's marquee Dubai finale to capture his third straight title here.
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The highest-ranked American, world No. 8 Mardy Fish, joined Djokovic in the second round by blitzing overmatched German Andreas Beck 6-1, 6-1 in 57 minutes. The sixth-seeded Fish rebounded from a stunning tournament-opening loss at the hands of unheralded Frenchman Albano Olivetti last week in Marseille.
Also on Day 1 in Dubai, Djokovic's 20-year-old younger brother Marko, a wild card this week, lost to Kazakhstani qualifier Andrey Golubev 6-3, 6-2.
"In the end, he has to face this, I guess, pressure in a way for having Djokovic surname," Djokovic said of Marko, who struggled on Monday. "All over the world where he plays tennis, I guess he has to face this pressure that is not necessary for him at this age. It's his burden, and he's very committed. He wants to succeed in tennis."
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Other opening-round wins came for Slovak Lukas Lacko and Czech Lukas Rosol. Lacko saved six match points before outlasting Ukrainian wild card Sergei Bubka in three sets, including a 16-14 third-set tiebreak. Bubka is the son of legendary pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka.
Tuesday's schedule features matches for six of the top-10 players in the world, including the second-seeded four-time Dubai champion Federer and third-seeded Andy Murray. Federer will encounter Frenchman Michael Llodra, who was last week's Marseille runner-up to Juan Martin del Potro, while Murray will meet left-handed German qualifier Michael Berrer.
Federer and Djokovic have combined to win seven of the last nine Dubai championships.
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Also slated for Day-2 action are Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Janko Tipsarevic and an eighth-seeded del Potro, who will be opposed by Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov. Tsonga will battle fellow former Aussie Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis.
The 2012 Dubai champ will collect $409,170.
Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska defeated German Julia Goerges in the final in last week's women's edition of this tournament.