Another tough draw for Jaziri at DDF Tennis Championship

Amir Naqvi, Sports Editor

Minutes before the official men’s draw, Malek Jaziri — one of the best tennis players in the Arab world — said that he hoped for better luck this time.

Lady Luck failed to smile once again as the draw pitted the Tunisian against World No.1 Novak Djokovic in the first round clash.

A draw has rarely been kind to him as in 2013 Jaziri opened against World No.2 Roger Federer, in 2016 he met Djokovic in round two, and in 2017 he faced World No.1 Andy Murray in the opening round. He last played at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in 2018.

During the same year, he produced his best results at the tournament as the 36-year-old Tunisian managed to reach the semi-finals after stunning World No.4 Grigor Dimitrov in the first round, Robin Haase in the second and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-final. He lost the semi-final to eventual champion Roberto Bautista Agut.

Jaziri was the first Arab player to reach the semi-finals in Dubai since Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui in 2002, who reached the final and lost to France’s Fabrice Santoro.

“I feel like I’m playing at home here, that run a couple years back is unforgettable and I’ve also made the quarters a couple of times, it’s perfect to be back competing here,” said Jaziri on the sidelines of the draw.

Along with Jaziri, wild cards were awarded to Mohamed Safwat from Egypt and India’s Prajnesh Gunneswaran, and both are in Djokovic’s quarter of the draw, along with two qualifiers.

“He Novak (Djokovic) is probably the toughest opponents I have played in Dubai so far. It is never easy when you are up against the world number or two, but then it is better to play such players in the first round than in the quarter-finals. We will see what happens as I really don’t have anything to lose,” he added.

“I will be playing against a player who is playing his best tennis right now. He just won a Grand Slam and he’s full of confidence. I will give my best and enjoy this game. It is a chance to see my level and come back to where I want it to be. It is a great opportunity for me to see my level and see where I have to work. I have a lot of respect for Novak.”

Jaziri had a horrible 2019 season, which was plagued by injuries that put a spanner in his comeback attempts.

“2019 was really hard for me, lot of injuries. So, I didn’t play regularly and I played only big tournaments and at the end of the year I was OK, physically.

“In the beginning of the year, I played in Pune last week, and played some challengers as well to get in rhythm. Every week, I am getting better and it is these kind of matches against Novak (Djokovic) that are good for me as they will give me a lot of motivation to push myself and see where I am today,” Jaziri said.

“The goals now are to stay healthy and enjoy the hard work at the same time. I have done this for many years now, and I know the way how to get back to my best again,” he added.