Novak Djokovic says he is satisfied, but not surprised, with his recent form, and is drawing additional confidence from his performance at the Australian Open.
The world No. 1 has reached the final of every event he has played for more than a year, and is currently holding 12 titles.
"To be honest, it doesn't surprise me at all," he told media members at his pre-tournament press conference in Dubai. “I expect a lot from myself … I put a lot of dedication in every aspect of the game in order to get the results that I am getting. So I try to approach each tournament optimistically, and I believe that I can win every match that I play against anybody on any surface.
"...I don't think there is anything wrong with that.”
But he did see his performance at the Australian Open as something special. He rebounded from an error-filled five-setter against Gilles Simon to defeat Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals, and then beat Roger Federer in the semifinals and Andy Murray in the final. He dropped just one set in those final three matches.
“It makes me feel very pleased that after a tough fourth round in five sets, I was able to play the best tennis when it was needed,” he said. “It satisfies me very much. [The] semifinals against Roger—especially those two first sets—and against Andy in the final was amazing."
Producing those types of showings during a long two-week event is usually difficult.
"You expect to be emotionally and physically exhausted," he said, "but I felt very consistent, strong, and solid."
Djokovic is a four-time champion in Dubai.