Novak Djokovic didn’t waste any time to fire a devious social media jab in the direction of his old rival Stefanos Tsitsipas after his impressive win in the Dubai Duty Free Championships.

Tsitsipas was back to his brilliant best in Dubai after a challenging few months that saw him drop out of the top ten of the ATP Rankings.

The former world No 3 openly admitted he was struggling to retain his confidence after a series of surprise defeats, with the 26-year-old opting to change his racket ahead of the tournament in Dubai.

It had an instant impact as he lifted the title in sparkling fashion, beating Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 in the final.

The win ended one of the more curious records in tennis, as Tsitsipas had appeared in 11 finals at ATP 500 level and lost each and every one of them.

Tsitsipas spoke about his joy at snapping that record of final defeats and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic also appreciated the significance of the moment as he posted a message of congratulations on his Instagram account as he wrote: “No one beats @stefanostsitsipas98 12x in a row on 500 Tour level. Well done!”

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The win was a massive boost to Tsitsipas after a worrying dip in form, with the Dubai triumph securing his return back to the top ten of the ATP Rankings as he will be up to No 9 when the list is updated.

“These are the things we are fighting for as professional tennis players. To be in the top 10 is definitely one of the greatest feelings a tennis player can experience,” he said.

“It comes with hard work, sacrifices, and difficult moments you have to endure as a tennis player. I’m happy I’m in a position I can really celebrate right now.

“There’s nothing I can say that ensured the win today. Pure fighting and trying my best to avoid a third final loss. It was nerve-wracking. I had a great opponent on the other side of the net. I’m just proud of how I managed to handle the pressure and perform in those crucial moments.”

“This is something I was fighting for a long time. It’s great that it happened here in Dubai. My game kind of clicked. Things worked well from the beginning. I’m very happy with how things progressed over the week and how I was able to close out some matches that didn’t seem like they belonged to me.

“I had some crazy fights out here. It’s a big relief that I’m able to hold that trophy finally after my third attempt. It’s something I had in the back of my mind. I’m happy I can say I accomplished it.”

Tsitsipas will now head to America to play in the Indian Wells and Miami Open ATP Masters tournaments, where he will have a chance to confirm his surge of form in Dubai was a sign of things to come.

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