Home » Roger Federer and Pete Sampras are joined on the exclusive list by Novak Djokovic.

After defeating Tomas Machac in two hours and 27 minutes with scores of 6-3, 3-6, and 7-6, Novak Djokovic is off to a good start in Dubai. In the decisive set, Tomas came back to erase Novak’s 4-1 lead and institute a tie break.

Djokovic handled himself well, winning 7-1 to seal the deal and maintain his unblemished record in 2023. Novak became the seventh player to do so during the Open era with his 300th successful tie break in an ATP career. Pete Sampras, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Ivo Karlovic, Feliciano Lopez, and John Isner were previously on the exclusive list before Djokovic joined them.

Moreover, Djokovic is 300-160 in tie breaks, placing him alongside Roger Federer at the top of the list of most effective players. After winning the tenth Australian Open championship, Novak played his first match and had a solid opening. The Serb made a break in the fourth game of the opening set before dropping serve in the following one.

In game six, Machac again lost the lead after the opening shot and trailed 4-2. A few minutes later, Djokovic doubled his lead with a strong hold, and he sealed the set 6-3 with a hold at love in game nine. In the second set, the Czech served just at a 50% clip, but that wasn’t a problem for him.

He performed well after the opening shot, made an early break, and won the set at 5-3 on his serve. To establish a 2-0 lead and get into a good flow, Tomas caused Novak’s backhand error in the second game. After a confident hold, the Czech Republic went up 3-0 and increased its chances of breaking the tie in game four.

Seventh player with 300 winning tie breaks is Novak Djokovic.

To stay within a break of the opponent, Novak saved two break points, and both of them produced dependable holds throughout the course of the following four games. Tomas faced a break point following an errant backhand on his serve to end the match at 5-3.

In response to Novak’s errant forehand that forced a tiebreaker, he blocked it with a backhand winner down the line and won the set. At the beginning of the decisive set, Djokovic saved a break point and gained momentum. As Machac’s backhand landed long at love and he requested a medical timeout for his right hand, he lost the point.

In the following one, the Serb delivered a comfortable hold for 4-1 and advanced toward the finish line. In game seven, Djokovic faced the second after saving a break point and missing a forehand. With a long backhand, Novak helped his opponent get back on track.

After a deuce in game eight, Machac held on to win three games in a row and tie the match at 4-4. Game nine saw Djokovic put a stop to his losing streak with a simple goal at the net, while game ten saw him move 30-15 ahead after the return.

Tomas won the following point with a serve and volley combination before serving out the match at 5-5. In the eleventh game, the Serb hit a service winner for a hold at 30 and an additional lead. Machac delivered audacious and aggressive strokes to hold at 15 and force a tie break after serving to stay in the match at 5-6.

For a 4-1 score, Novak forced the opponent’s error in the fourth point. The Serb scored a return point to extend his lead and a return goal to earn five match points. After a forehand winner, Djokovic won the first set and advanced to the next round.