Top-ranked Novak Djokovic held on to beat Czech qualifier Tomas Machac 6-3 3-6 7-6 (1) at the Dubai Championships in his first match since winning his 10th Australian Open title.

Djokovic's first-round victory on Tuesday came a day after the 35-year-old Serb broke the record for the most time spent at No. 1 in the professional tennis rankings by a man or woman.