Novak Djokovic started his 2022 campaign with a victory

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic won his first match of 2022 on Monday, defeating Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-3 to kick off the Dubai Championships.

 The 34-year-old showed no signs of rust or mental baggage from the Australian Open visa saga, producing a polished performance to ease into the second round, later describing it as a “pleasant experience.”

 It was Djokovic’s first match of the year after his Australian Open hopes were dashed when he was deported after an 11-day saga involving his refusal to have a Covid-19 vaccination and a contentious exemption he had been granted to play in the event.

This response was the best I could have hoped for. It’s been a while since my last match, and I couldn’t think of a better place to start the season “After performing his trademark salute to all sides of the arena, Djokovic, who had not played since the Davis Cup Finals in November, told fans.

 Djokovic will have a day off before facing either Karen Khachanov of Russia or Alex de Minaur of Australia. When asked later by reporters how he had been received by his teammates, he said they had been “very friendly.”

Most of them welcomed him back with a warm greeting and said they were glad to see me again. That makes me very happy. I’m grateful for that because having the kind of understanding, if not support, from my peers and colleagues is very important to me because they are the people, I get to see more than my family.”

While Djokovic has had no problems playing in Dubai, he has stated that he will be unable to compete at Indian Wells due to strict vaccine laws in the United States.

 “As of today, I am unable to play. But let’s wait and see what happens. Perhaps things will change in the coming weeks.”