ATP Finals 2022: Andrey Rublev vs Novak Djokovic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (6) Andrey Rublev vs (7) Novak Djokovic.
Date: November 16, 2022.
Tournament: ATP Finals 2022.
Round: Round robin.
Venue: Pala Alpitour, Turin, Italy.
Category: Year-ending championships.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: $14,750,000.
Match timing: Not before 2 pm local time, 1 pm GMT, 8 am ET and 6:30 pm IST.
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports 18 & Voot.
Andrey Rublev vs Novak Djokovic preview
World No. 7 Andrey Rublev will take on 21-time Major champion Novak Djokovic in the group stage of the 2022 ATP Finals on Wednesday.
Rublev kicked off his campaign against Daniil Medvedev in his first group tie. He snagged an early break to go 3-1 up and held on to the lead for a while. The 25-year-old then served for the first set at 5-3 but got broken instead. He held a couple of set points on his opponent's serve at 6-5 but failed to capitalize on them.
In the ensuing tie-break, Rublev jumped to a 6-2 lead. However, a few costly errors of his own, along with some smart play by Medvedev and bad calls from linesmen, resulted in the former World No. 1 clinching the set.
Rublev didn't fester in disappointment for too long and regrouped quickly. He bagged the second set by breaking his opponent's serve twice to take the match into a decider. Both players remained steady on serve in the third set as it soon headed into a tie-break.
Rublev was once again the frontrunner as he led 6-3, but squandered four match points as Medvedev didn't go down without a fight. The 25-year-old ultimately sealed the deal on his fourth match point to win 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (7).
Djokovic commenced his quest for a sixth ATP Finals title against Stefanos Tsitsipas. He broke the Greek's serve in the very first game of the match and the advantage was more than enough for him to take the opening set.
Tsitsipas played a bit better in the second set but came nowhere close to challenging Djokovic. The pair remained unshakeable on serve as the set went into a tie-break, in which the Serb came out on top to win the match 6-4, 7-6 (4).
Andrey Rublev vs Novak Djokovic head-to-head
The two have split their previous couple of meetings evenly for the head-to-head to be tied at 1-1. Rublev won their last encounter at the 2022 Serbia Open in three sets.
Andrey Rublev vs Novak Djokovic odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Andrey Rublev vs Novak Djokovic prediction
Djokovic played some solid tennis to get past Tsitsipas. He ended the match with 33 winners and 12 unforced errors. The Serb's returns were mostly on point, though he did try to go for too much at times.
Rublev almost let the match get away from him, but managed to get past Medvedev somehow. He managed to come out on top in most baseline rallies, managing to break down his opponent's defense and consistency. If he's able to do the same against Djokovic throughout the contest, he might be able to challenge him.
However, if Rublev once again misses his opportunity to close out sets and the match, he might not be able to go scot-free this time. Giving a second lease of life to a player like Djokovic would spell doom for his chances. The Serb seems to be in fine form right now and should be able to notch up another victory to continue his campaign here.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.