Djokovic broke Federer in the third game of the first set, and came down from a break in the second set. Djokovic consistently pounded the Federer backhand, which is not aging gracefully with the 29-year-old Swiss, much like Pete Sampras’ one-handed backhand declined in his final years. Late in the second set the Federer backhand also let him down, producing some critical unforced errors.

“It took a lot of energy for me,” Djokovic said. “Stopping and playing, and coming back and then again stopping the match last night because of the rain. If we continued last night I think I had much better chance to get the job done in two sets. I felt really good on the court, hitting the ball and feeling relaxed.”

Notes: Roger Federer withdraws at the last minute with a lung infection; the appearance-money-laden Dubai event feature five of the Top 10; openers of interest include (8) Simon vs. Baghdatis, (5) Tsonga vs. the hot-handed Llodra; Andy Roddick pulled out of the event with no reason given; that’s around a mil saved by the Dubai organizers with Federer’s withdrawal; Djokovic beat David Ferrer in last year’s final; Federer said, “I’m hoping to be back for Indian Wells. But of course there are no promises. This is something that with proper treatment will be finished. I’ve been taking it easy, relaxing as much as possible. My breathing is a bit difficult and everything feels a bit slow. I can’t take any chances until I’m fit again. It could be better, it could be worse.”

Seeds: Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic, Aggie Radwanska, Na Li, Sam Stosur, Flavia Pennetta, Marion Bartoli, Vera Zvonareva, Yanina Wickmayer, Francesca Schiavone, Nadia Petrova, Jie Zheng

“In my opinion there is no danger that the tournament will be pulled,” McLoughlin says.

The second week of the interesting “Mexico Swing” on the new WTA Tour calendar, which is down time for most all of the top players who have taken the two weeks off to prepare for tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami.

“I really didn’t agree with what went on over there,” Roddick said. “I don’t know if it’s the best thing to mix politics and sports, and that was probably a big part of [his withdrawl].”

Shocker: Defending champ Andy Roddick pulling while still in the semis at Memphis, passing on defending his ranking points and collecting a hefty appearance fee. “They have all seemed to have legitimate injuries,” Colm McLoughlin, the managing director of Dubai Duty Free, told reporters on Saturday regarding players skipping out. “I have no concerns. We have heard that Roddick was on the start of a hernia. I didn’t hear any other reports.”

This fine amount represents the highest fine ever levied against a Tour member.

“I told them the story I heard, and they laughed,” Bryan said.