On the second day of the inaugural World Tennis League, we will see two exciting teams – Falcons and Hawks locking horns in what promises to be an intriguing contest.
Each team will have a maximum of four players competing in a match. The mixed-gender exhibition tournament, which is being held in the Middle East in Dubai, will see each match being decided after the result of best-of-three contests involving one singles men’s match, one singles women’s match, and one mixed doubles match. There will be a 10-point tiebreak for the third set.
The Falcons have the biggest star of the tournament – Novak Djokovic in their ranks. While most of the focus will be on him, the 2-time Grand Slam champion in doubles – Aryna Sabalenka will also hog the limelight. The team – Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, and Grigor Dimitrov.
Novak Djokovic had his share of problems throughout the year due to his unvaccinated status against COVID-19. He was barred from participating in several tournaments. However, that didn’t stop him from winning his 21st Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. The former world No. 1 had a sensational finish to the season as he won a record-equalling sixth ATP Finals title. Sabalenka competed in the WTA Finals and finished runner-up. The Belarusian player also missed a few tournaments in the year as Russian and Belarusian players were not allowed to participate in certain tournaments. The current world No. 5 still managed to have a decent year.
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa won her third title in Sydney to begin her season on a bright note. She reached her career-high ranking of world No. 2 on 25 April 2022. However, the Spaniard didn’t finish the season too well as she lost 8 out of her last 10 matches. Grigor Dimitrov is an experienced player from Bulgaria who was ranked No. 3 at one point. During this season, he completed 350 wins at the tour level.
The Hawks have formed an exciting team that has players like Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem in their ranks. Successful female players like Anett Kontaveit and Elena Rybakina are also present in the team and fans will have an eye on them. The team – Alexander Zverev, Anett Kontaveit, Elena Rybakina, and Dominic Thiem.
Alexander Zverev suffered a terrible ankle injury during the French Open semifinal. This resulted in him missing the rest of the season. The German youngster made his comeback to the tennis court at the 2022 Diriyah Cup. He was ousted in the quarterfinals with a loss against eventual champion Daniil Medvedev. Anett Kontaveit had a topsy-turvy season. She saw the high of becoming world No. 2 on 6 June. The Estonian tested positive for COVID-19 and following this, she missed a few tournaments. Her season ended abruptly as she suffered a back injury.
Elena Rybakina will always remember 2022 as she won her first Grand Slam title this year. Rybakina defeated Ons Jabeur in the final to win the title. Dominic Thiem made a comeback from injury and has shown glimpses of his talent every now and then.
This will be an interesting affair. Thiem and Kontaveit showed better form during the latter half of the season compared to their opponents. This should hold the Austrian-Estonian duo in good stead.
Aryna Sabalenka will go into this match as the favorite. Rybakina has not been able to string in good results following her triumphant Wimbledon campaign. Sabalenka, on the other hand, finished the year with some fine results and will be the more confident player going into the contest.
This is the match that all tennis fans are waiting eagerly for. Djokovic is an all-time great while Zverev is touted by many as one of the best young players on the tour. However, the fact that the German player has not had much match practice of late will give the edge to Djokovic, who displayed phenomenal form towards the end of the season.
Overall Prediction: Falcons to win 2-1.
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