• Mubadala World Tennis Championship

Djokovic opens season with win in Abu Dhabi

ESPN staff
December 28, 2013
Djokovic shows off his first trophy of the 2014 season © Getty Images
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Novak Djokovic opened his 2014 season with victory at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.

Watched on by new coach Boris Becker, the Serb beat David Ferrer 7-5 6-2 in the final of the $250,000 winner-takes-all tournament.

Ferrer drew first blood, breaking Djokovic in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead, but he could not consolidate his lead and the world No. 2 won five points in a row to break back immediately.

Qatar Open draw

  • Rafael Nadal has been drawn against Lukas Rosol in the first round of the Qatar Open in Doha. The last time the pair met was at Wimbledon in 2012, where Rosol knocked then world No. 2 Nadal out in a second-round five-setter.
  • Andy Murray has been handed an opening tie against 19-year-old Qatari qualifier Mousa Zayed, who is currently the world No 2099.

Ferrer found himself three break points down in the 11th game after two unforced errors, and saved the first with a delightful drop shot at the net.

But Djokovic earned the break at the second time of asking with a forehand smash to end a 22-shot rally before seeing out the set.

From then on, it was all Djokovic who wasted little time in wrapping up the win.

In the third-place play-off, Rafael Nadal beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(5) 6-3.

The first set was an even affair, with neither player breaking serve until the 11th point of the tie-break as Nadal edged ahead.

The second set was far more routine for the world No. 1, who broke in the third game before going on to seal match-point at the third attempt.

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