ATP Finals 2021: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (4) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (5) Andrey Rublev
Date: 15 November 2021
Tournament: Nitto ATP Finals 2021
Round: Round robin (Green Group)
Venue: Turin, Italy
Category: Year-ending championships
Surface: Indoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $7,250,000
Match timing: Not before 9 pm local time, 8 pm GMT, 1.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev preview
Former champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will kick off his 2021 ATP Finals campaign against Andrey Rublev in a Green Group round-robin tie on Monday.
Tsitsipas had a stellar first half of the season as he reached his second semifinal at the Australian Open, won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo and then made his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros.
However, his performances have dipped over the last couple of months. After withdrawing from his opening-round match at the Paris Masters, Tsitsipas revealed that he has been struggling with a arm injury for a while now.
The Greek was the defending champion in last year's edition of the ATP Finals but failed to progress beyond the round-robin stage as he managed to win just one match. He'll aim to do better this time around, but his fitness remains a concern.
Andrey Rublev has also posted some solid results this season, winning the Rotterdam Open at the start of the year, reaching two Masters 1000 finals and winning the gold medal in mixed doubles at the Tokyo Olympics.
However, since reaching the Cincinnati Open final in August, the Russian's form has tailed off. He lost his opening-round match to Taylor Fritz at the Paris Masters and enters the final tournament of the season a little short on confidence.
Rublev made his ATP Finals debut in 2020, but failed to move past the round-robin stage as he won just one match and finished in fourth place.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev head-to-head
Stefanos Tsitsipas leads Andrey Rublev 4-3 in the head-to-head. They've split their two meetings this year, with the Russian winning in the semifinals at Rotterdam and the Greek triumphing in the Monte Carlo final.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev prediction
Stefanos Tsitsipas enters the tournament under an injury cloud, but Andrey Rublev has problems of his own, given his poor recent form. Both players will hope to put their troubles behind them and make a successful start to their ATP Finals campaign.
Rublev's high-risk style of play hasn't reaped rewards over the last few weeks, so he might be better off playing with some caution and waiting for the right opportunity to go for his shots.
Tsitsipas possesses the better serve of the two and is also more solid from the back of the court. The Greek is also comfortable at the net and can move forwards to finish points off quickly.
Both players have the weapons to play well in indoor conditions. If fully fit, Tsitsipas should be able to overcome the Russian and post his first win of the 2021 ATP Finals.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.