ATP Finals 2023: Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs (8) Holger Rune
Date: November 12, 2023
Tournament: ATP Finals 2023
Round: Round robin
Venue: Pala Alpitour, Turin, Italy
Category: Year-ending championships
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: $15,000,000
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video | Canada - TSN
Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune preview
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will face off against Holger Rune in the group stage of the 2023 ATP Finals on Sunday (November 12).
Djokovic won three Major titles this year, including his record-extending 24th title at the US Open. He also finished as the runner-up at Wimbledon, going down to rival Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller.
Djokovic then won the Cincinnati Masters over Alcaraz in the final and more recently, the Paris Masters. He won the Adelaide International 1 at the start of the season as well. The Serb's record for the year stands at an impressive 51-5.
Rune, meanwhile, has had a pretty good season as well for the most part. He made the last eight at the French Open and Wimbledon. He also reached a couple of finals at the Masters level in Monte Carlo and Rome. The Danish youngster won his sole title of the year in Munich at the BMW Open.
Rune also endured a rough patch following his Wimbledon exit as he has won just one of his nine matches after that. He has recovered quite well since then. He first made the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors in Basel and then the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters, where he was the defending champion.
Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune head-to-head
The two have split their previous four meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 2-2. Djokovic won their most recent encounter at the 2023 Paris Masters in three sets.
Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune prediction
Djokovic has been the player to beat this season. He's currently on a 18-match winning streak, which started with his title-winning run in Cincinnati. Even more impressive is the fact that of his five losses this season, only one of them has been on hardcourts.
Djokovic's record on the surface stands at a mighty 33-1, with Daniil Medvedev being the only player to get the better of him on hardcourts. The Serb has an engaging rivalry with Rune, with neither player winning their matches in straight sets so far.
The two battled it out earlier this month in Paris, with Djokovic sending defending champion Rune on his way home. It was another three-set affair, with the World No. 1 overcoming a second-set stumble to emerge victorious.
Rune does have a win over Djokovic this year, which came at the Italian Open. But the Serb has been on a different level over the past few months and should be able to one-up his younger rival once again.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in three sets.