ATP Finals 2022: Daniil Medvedev vs Novak Djokovic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Daniil Medvedev vs (7) Novak Djokovic.
Date: November 18, 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.
Daniil Medvedev vs Novak Djokovic preview
Former World No. 1 players Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic are set to clash in the group stage of the 2022 ATP Finals on Friday.
After a tough three-set defeat to Andrey Rublev in his first group tie, Medvedev found himself in the tough position of needing to win his next match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. He went down an early break to trail 3-0 in the opening set. The Russian found it tough to recover from the deficit and soon lost the set.
Neither player got close to a break point in the second set, which then went into a tie-break. Medvedev led 4-1 but squandered his lead as Tsitsipas fought back. The 2021 US Open champion then saved three match points to clinch the tie-break and take the match into a decider.
Medvedev was the first to go up a break in the third set as he led 5-3. He later served for the match at 5-4, but lost serve as Tsitsipas mounted a comeback. The Greek then managed to take the set into a tie-break, which he won easily to defeat the 26-year-old 6-3, 6-7 (11), 7-6 (1). The Russian has now been eliminated from the tournament.
Following a straight-sets victory over Tsitsipas, Djokovic took on Andrey Rublev in his next group match. Both players remained steady on serve for the better part of the first set. With the Russian serving to stay in the set at 5-4, the 35-year-old managed to break his opponent's serve to take the set.
Djokovic raised his level even more in the second set. He went on a three-game run to lead 3-0. Following a hold of serve by Rublev, the Serb bagged the next three games to win the match 6-4, 6-1 and secure his place in the semifinals.
Daniil Medvedev vs Novak Djokovic head-to-head
Djokovic leads Medvedev 7-4 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Astana Open following the Russian's retirement at the end of the second set.
Daniil Medvedev vs Novak Djokovic odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Daniil Medvedev vs Novak Djokovic prediction
Djokovic was simply flawless against Rublev. He served and returned quite well, hitting 12 aces and winning 45% of return points. He also committed just six unforced errors throughout the match.
Medvedev, on the other hand, lost yet another close encounter. He did well to survive the second set by saving match points, but let the match slip from his hands in the third set. The Russian's level dropped significantly towards the end of the match.
At his best, Medvedev has the game to challenge and even defeat Djokovic. But he hasn't been the same since his loss at the Australian Open this year. It seems to have scarred him a bit mentally and since then he has had trouble winning tight matches against top players. Given the Serb's current level, this is likely to be an easy victory for him.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.