Top seed Novak Djokovic squares off against Frenchman Constant Lestienne in the round of 32 of the Adelaide International on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old played only 11 tournaments on the tour in 2022 but he displayed his class in almost all of them. Djokovic finished the season on a tremendous high as he won four out of the last five singles tournaments he played in. The Serbian legend won five titles in 2022. He received a huge boost later in the year when his visa ban was overturned and his participation in the Australian Open was guaranteed.
The former world No. 1 played in the doubles event in Adelaide but was ousted in the first round. Djokovic’s focus will now be on having a deep run in the singles event and getting the necessary preparation in place ahead of the 2023 Australian Open.
The experienced player produced a few good results in the latter half of 2022. Lestienne won a couple of Challenger titles earlier in the year and entered the top 100 in the ATP rankings. He won three Challenger titles in 2022.
Lestienne reached the quarterfinals at the San Diego Open and the semis at the Tel Aviv Open. His season ended with a loss in the qualifiers of the Paris Masters when he retired in the middle of a match against Mikael Ymer.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0 as the two players have not faced each other as yet.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.
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