Roberto Bautista Agut feels confident ahead of Dubai and first clash against Struff

World no. 12 Roberto Bautista Agut will compete in Dubai for the eighth straight year, clinching the title in the desert in 2018 after beating Lucas Pouille in the final. Roberto will kick off the campaign against Jan-Lennard Struff, hoping for a strong start and another good run at one of his favorite events, also to bounce back from the second-round loss in Rotterdam a couple of weeks ago. The Spaniard has won nine out of 11 matches so far in 2020, making an incredible start of the year at the ATP Cup where he carried his country towards the final together with Rafael Nadal, defeating all six rivals in straight sets and gathering momentum ahead of the Australian Open. In Melbourne, Roberto lost to Marin Cilic in the third round after four hours and ten minutes, taking a week off and suffering that Rotterdam defeat to Pablo Carreno Busta in the deciding tie break. Now, the Spaniard is ready to fight for the title again, with a potential quarter-final meeting against the last year's finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

"I feel well after that great opening month in Australia. I've been working at home after that and everything went well. I think I'm ready for a good week in Dubai. I like the conditions here; I think it's great for my tennis. It's one of my favorite tournaments of the year. Jan-Lennard is a great player; he can play very aggressively and fast so we will see. It's going to be the first match here in the desert, which always makes it more difficult; I will have to concentrate hard and prepare well to beat him. Last year's Wimbledon was maybe the best tournament I played in my life; it was a great experience that I learned a lot from. I hope I can repeat that results in the next couple of years. I married a great girl; she's helping me a lot, as always in the past. We are good together, trying to help each other in our lives."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2SZ5QEo