Malek Jaziri on Wednesday faces a task that many describe as ‘Mission Impossible’ when he tries to beat Novak Djokovic in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships second round but the Tunisian wildcard refuses to see it that way.
Jaziri ended a five-match losing streak and got his first win of the year by beating Mikhail Youzhny in the opening round on Monday and he’s excited to take on the World No.1.
Djokovic, a four-time champion in Dubai, is a good friend of Jaziri’s having met the North African during the IPTL in 2014 when they played on the same team – the UAE Royals.
Since then, they’ve practiced together many times at various tournaments around the world but their second round clash will be their first official match against one another.
“I feel good, I’ve been wanting to play him for a long time, so we’ll see how it goes,” Jaziri told Sport360 after his practice session.
Jaziri, who peaked at No.65 in the world rankings exactly a year ago but has now slipped to 121, is the highest ranked Arab and a crowd favourite in Dubai.
Djokovic finds him a talented individual but the Serb admits that when he first met him, he realised Jaziri was not necessarily working as hard as someone at that level typically does.
“We have very good relationship. We got closer as friends in the IPTL. He’s very laid back, very nice guy,” said Djokovic of the Tunisian.
“Obviously he wants to do well here. He’s not from Emirates, but he feels that he comes from this part of the world. He enjoys the support.
“I have seen a little of his match (against Youzhny). He played well. He improved a lot. I always thought he’s very talented, but working was not on his priority list every day,” Djokovic said with a smile.
“You know, he just enjoys life a lot. It’s great. But I think he realised that he can be better. He can play better if he worked a little bit harder, which he’s doing now over the last couple of months.
“He told me he had a great off-season and it pays off. Let’s see what happens. He plays quite different from (my first round opponent) Tommy Robredo. He’s standing closer to the line, he has flat shots and better serve. Got to be ready for it.”
Getting to know the likes of Djokovic better through the IPTL was an eye-opener for Jaziri, who got to see how the top guys operated on a day-to-day basis and how much professionalism and hard work they put in.
“I was around people that were more professional and more dedicated to tennis so maybe I changed a bit after that,” said the 32-year-old.
“I changed my mind-set, many things, I tried to practice more heading into this season.
“I feel like I’m enjoying my tennis more now, having fun, taking pleasure. I’m playing in good tournaments, facing good players, so I’m trying to enjoy it.”
Jaziri practiced several times with Djokovic in Doha and Melbourne this year and that was also a great learning opportunity for him.
“His intensity is incredible in practice. You get to how these guys practice, how they recover, how the coach and the rest of the staff works with them. Everyone has their own role and you learn a lot from observing these things,” said Jaziri, who is a former quarter-finalist in Dubai.
Jaziri is no stranger to playing big matches on centre court here at the Aviation Club. In 2013, he led Roger Federer by a set in the first round before he fell to the Swiss in three.
“That match, I was feeling the ball so well, I played like I had nothing to lose. It was a great memory even though I lost. I always wanted to play Roger and I managed to take a set,” recalls Jaziri.
“This match is different. I’m playing a guy who is winning everything, full of confidence beating all the players, he’s positive and he’s doing the right things and he’s playing maybe the best tennis of his life.
“I’ll play my game, do my best and who knows, maybe I wake up on a good day… I’ll stay focused and believe in myself. Everything is about believing. Winning or losing, that doesn’t matter, but you step on the court playing to win. It’s very important that before the match you think that you have a chance.
“I’ve always liked playing in Dubai. I have to thank Salah Tahlak and Dubai Duty Free for the wildcard. They give me everything to feel like I’m at home here. They give me confidence, I feel like they believe in me and that they want me to get a good result and that the people here enjoy watching me. When you play and you fight and people see that, they will support you more. And that’s what happens when I play here.”
