World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will look to return to his winning ways on Tuesday afternoon at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships when he contests an intriguing opening round battle against Canadian No. 2 Vasek Pospisil. This marks the third time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head series 2-0.

Watch the match live here: Djokovic v Pospisil Live Stream

Back in 2011, and 2013, Novak Djokovic was able to follow up his Aussie Open title wins with championship wins in Dubai. Given that he won the title in Melbourne this season, Djokovic will be looking to maintain that remarkable trend in 2015.

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“I believe there is a connection between the Australian Open and Dubai,” said Djokovic. “Every time I win there I probably win here. The reason I’m so successful here is building on the confidence and that it’s the beginning of the season and I’m motivated, fresh and eager to compete.”

The former four-time champion is riding a seven-match win streak and only lost once this season – a three-set defeat to Delray Beach champion Ivo Karlovic – and will now look to build on his newfound momentum ahead of the Indian Wells Masters event next season.

Canadian No. 2 Vasek Pospisil has managed to compile five wins on the ATP World Tour so far this season, although they are all scattered over four tournaments. His best performance was at the Aussie Open, where he reached the third round of the tournament following wins over Sam Querrey and Paolo Lorenzi. Since then, he has only picked up one win in Rotterdam, and one in Marseille.

This marks the third time that Djokovic and Pospisil will cross paths on the ATP World Tour, with the Serb leading the series 2-0 with a Davis Cup victory on clay last season, and then a win in the second round in Beijing. The world No. 1 is coming off an extended break following his Major title win, which is why he will likely be fresh and ready to impose his dominance over an inconsistent BC native.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets