PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 7: Daniil Medvedev of Russia, Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the Rolex Paris Masters 2021 Final, an ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament at Accor Arena on November 7, 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
2021 US Open finalists, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev square off in the group stage of the ATP Finals on Friday in what is essentially a dead rubber.
The former world No. 1 has been in rampaging form in the tournament so far. He has already secured his spot in the semis with two convincing wins in straight sets. Djokovic will get some good practice ahead of his semi-final clash when he locks horns with Medvedev.
In his opening encounter at the ATP Finals, Djokovic got the better of second-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). The Greek star has become Djokovic’s bunny in recent times as he lost his ninth consecutive match against the Serbian and tenth overall. Djokovic won a total of 66 points and had a win percentage of 87 on the first serve and 80 on the second. The 36-year-old outplayed an in-form Andrey Rublev in the second match. The encounter ended 6-4, 6-1 with Djokovic hitting 12 aces and having a staggering win percentage of 94 on the first serve.
It has been a disappointing campaign for the former world No. 1. He fought hard in both the matches he has played till now but the crucial moments have been handled better by his opponents.
Medvedev began his journey in Turin with a heartbreaking 7-6 (9-7), 3-6, 6-7 (7-9) loss to fellow Russian Rublev. The 2021 US Open champion fired in as many as 24 aces but 6 double faults at critical junctures did not help his cause. Medvedev crashed out of the competition after losing his second match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The match ended 6-3, 6-7 (11-13), 7-6 (7-1) in favor of Tsitsipas. Medvedev was once again excellent with his serves and fired in 16 aces and had a win percentage of 88 on the first serve. However, Tsitsipas held his nerves at the fag end of the third set to secure the victory.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 7-4 in favor of Djokovic. He defeated Medvedev in their most recent encounter at the 2022 Astana Open after the Russian retired at the end of the second set.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.
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