Serbian Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Spanish Tommy Robredo during their ATP tennis match on the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on February 22, 2016 (AFP)
Playing his first match since winning the Australian Open, top-seeded Novak Djokovic beat Tommy Robredo of Spain 6-1, 6-2 on Monday in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Djokovic's victory brought him one match away from his 700th career singles match win.
Djokovic, a previous four-time champion in Dubai, never faced a break point against the 39th-ranked Robredo.
Djokovic's next opponent will be Tunisian wild-card entry Malek Jaziri, who won his first match of the year, beating Russian qualifier Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 6-1.
Sixth-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain won his 400th career match, beating Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
The 34-year-old Lopez, the oldest player in the draw, is playing in Dubai for the 10th time. He reached the final in 2004 and 2008.
Also, 66th-ranked Chung Hyeon of South Korea beat 39th-ranked Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-3, 6-4.
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