Djokovic won the opening match of the Dubai Championships

The 18th consecutive victory came to Djokovic in a way that was not easy. Before the world number 130, Nole lost the second set and needed a decisive tie-break set to win the next ticket. "Machac clearly does not play like the world number 130," Djokovic praised the 22-year-old junior. "He caused me a lot of trouble."

Djokovic leads the way in defense of the serve game on the ATP Tour this season, with 94.3% before heading to Dubai. But right in the first round, the Serbian player lost the serve game in all three sets. Machac showed a solid defensive ability, a reasonable choice of shots and an impressive left side of the string. Those skills help the Czech player to escape many times when he has difficulty in the serve game and make good use of the opportunity when returning.

Djokovic started well when he won the game twice in the first set. He won 6-3, though he also lost the serve game once. But since the second set, Machac played fair with the senior. The 22-year-old soon won the ball game to lead 3-0, then won the second set with a score of 6-3.

Good serve helps Djokovic save seven of 10 break-points. However, when leading 4-1 in the third set, Nole could not keep the advantage. He let Machac equalize 4-4, then pulled into the tie-break. In the series of brainstorming matches, Djokovic's level spoke with a 7-1 victory.

"I struggled with injuries in the past weeks and didn't have much time to hold the racket," Djokovic said after the match. "Hopefully when the tournament is over, I'll play a higher level of tennis."

Nole's victory comes just a day after he broke Steffi Graf's record for number-one weeks in the world. "This record is very special," said Djokovic, after spending his 378th week at number one in the world. "When I was a kid in Serbia, I had two dreams: to win Wimbledon and to be number one in the world. I achieved those dreams over and over again, and then I continued to set new goals."

Djokovic is also proud to be one of the biggest names in tennis history. He is aiming for his sixth title in Dubai, having been crowned in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2020. In the second round, Djokovic will meet world No. 39 opponent Tallon Griekspoor. This match is scheduled to take place at 22:00 on March 1, Hanoi time.