World No 1 Novak Djokovic opened his season with an impressive 6-0, 6-3 win over David Ferrer in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition tournament on Friday. The Serb, who won the title last year, raced away with the first set of the semi-final clash before the Spaniard managed to grab an early break in the second. Ferrer served to go 3-1 up, but could not convert and it was Djokovic who once again took over the reins of what was a low-key match.

After the match, Djokovic told ESPN: "I love this court and the conditions here. I wish all the tournaments in the world were played here. "It's definitely a great surface. It's not too warm here, not too cold, it's ideal to prepare on. "I am surprised with my game considering it's the first match of the official season. Hopefully I can play another good one tomorrow."

In the final Djokovic will play Spaniard Nicolas Almagro - a late replacement for Rafael Nadal who postponed his return to action after a six-month injury layoff due to a stomach virus. Almagro defeated Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic 2-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 in the other semi-final. "Please support me tomorrow because I am going to need it," Almagro told the crowd. Tipsarevic had reached the semi-finals by defeating US Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray on Thursday.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012