Roger Federer could not be more comfortable in his “home” emirate, where he won a seventh career title at the Dubai Classic on Saturday, 6-3, 7-5 over rival Novak Djokovic.
The world number two Swiss maintains a training base in the duty-free shopping paradise nation and is well used to the desert heat which can put bodies, strategies and game plans to the sword.
“I guess it definitely helps practising in Dubai quite a bit,” said Federer, holder of 2015 honours in Brisbane as well as the Gulf after successfully defending his 2014 crown.
If Federer likes the emirate, it’s the mainly fans - expats and locals alike - who love even more to see him play,
The 5,000-capacity stadium at the Aviation club was fully packed for each of his five matches during the week; the 17-time grand slam winner was given a standing ovation when he was introduced during the walk-out for the final to the grinding guitar licks of AC-DC’s “Rock or Bust” anthem.
After picking up his seventh Dubai title, the 500 series tournament joins Wimbledon and Halle - both on grass - where the 33-year-old dynamo has won at least a lucky seven times.
But it wasn’t always a love affair between the younger Federer and the event which has maintained a virtual lock as the ATP player favourite for more than a decade in annual voting.
And past history may be revealing.
“I think I had a rough first visit here to Dubai where I was accused of not putting in my best effort,” said Federer who lost in the 2002 second round to Rainer Schuettler. “I remember, and I came back the following year and won it and went on a roll.
“I really felt like I had something to prove after that, and I guess that’s what got me to my winning ways here in Dubai. And then ever since then I fell in love with the tournament and the crowd and the city here.
“The seventh (title) is quite unbelievable,” said Federer.
Federer came to Dubai after a third-round loss at the Australian Open followed by a holiday. The Swiss said he was unsure of how he would actually perform upon his return.
His form and fitness hardly seemed a problem, however, as he drove a spike through the hardcourt week of wind and a few dust storms. The Swiss maestro certainly has a lot left in him, and with three more Grand Slam events remaining this year, who knows what he can achieve?


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