Two of the three top men's players in the world—Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic—headline the field as the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships kicks off in the United Arab Emirates on Monday.
Djokovic is seeking to win the title for a third straight time after defeating David Ferrer here in 2009 and Mikhail Youzhny in 2010. It's the Serbian sensation's first time on court since defeating Andy Murray for the 2011 Australian Open title, his second-career Grand Slam win.
Entering the tournament, Djokovic trails Federer by just 85 points in the overall standings, but won't be able to catch up this week, even if he does three-peat. Federer skipped this event a year ago, not playing at all between winning the Australian Open and Indian Wells in mid-March, meaning his lead on Djokovic will only increase this week.
Djokovic begins play against France's Michael Llodra, while Federer draws Indian wild card Somdev Devvarman. The 500-point field features six other players ranked in the Top 25—Tomas Berdych, Mikhail Youzhny, Ivan Ljubicic, Viktor Troicki, Marcos Baghdatis andErnests Gulbis.
While Djokovic and Federer contend in the desert, the top four American players lead the feel at Delray Beach with 250 points on the line. Memphis finalist Andy Roddick is the No. 1 seed, followed in succession by Mardy Fish, Sam Querrey and John Isner, making his Delray debut.
Big server Kevin Anderson is the fifth seed, with Roddick's US Open nemesis Janko Tipsarevic seeded sixth. Also making his Delray debut is Juan Martin Del Potro, fresh off his Memphis semifinal loss to Roddick on Saturday.
The third tournament of the week is the 500-point clay court Abierto Mexicano Telcel being held in gorgeous Acapulco. Two top-10 players—David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco—top the call sheet, along with several of the Southern hemisphere's most recognized faces, including Nicolas Almagro, Juan Monaco and David Nalbandian.
Also of particular interest is Canada's Milos Raonic, who will be in for a tough turnaround after playing in the Memphis final Sunday afternoon against Andy Roddick.
Even if Raonic gets a Tuesday first-round match in Mexico, the 1,815-mile plane trip is not going to do anything for his fatigue.
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