Belgrade Open 2021: Men's singles draw analysis, preview & prediction
The men's tour moves to Serbia for a second ATP 250 event at the Novak Tennis Center starting May 23. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is scheduled to play in his hometown, despite the tournament ending just one day before main draw action kicks off in Paris.
The likes of Gael Monfils, Adrian Mannarino, Filip Krajinovic, Dusan Lajovic, and Nikoloz Basilashvili are also in the field.
With main draw action set to begin on Sunday, here's a look at the prospects of all the notable players in the fray.
Top half: Novak Djokovic on the hunt for first claycourt title of the year
Top seeded players: [1] Novak Djokovic, [3] Nikoloz Basilashvili, [5] Dusan Lajovic, [7] Miomir Kecmanovic
Expected semifinal: Novak Djokovic vs Nikoloz Basilashivili
Dark horse: Pablo Andujar
Novak Djokovic enters the final Roland Garros warm-up tournament without a title on clay for the first time since 2018.
The Serb has taken the unusual decision to play an ATP 250 event one week prior to a Grand Slam, but the quest to gain match sharpness and play in front of his home crowd could be at the forefront of his mind.
Novak Djokovic has had an underwhelming claycourt campaign thus far. He lost early in Monte Carlo, reached the semifinals in Belgrade, and then the final in Rome last week.
The 34-year-old defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Sonego in back-to-back encounters on the same day in the Italian capital to set up a clash with Rafael Nadal in the final, which he ultimately lost in three sets.
In Belgrade, Djokovic has a potential second-round encounter with Egor Gerasimov, following which he could face compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic in a repeat of last month's Serbian Open quarterfinal.
Kecmanovic has made promising strides on the men's tour in the past couple of years, but he will have to get past Pablo Cuevas and possibly Pablo Andujar to set up a potential meeting with Djokovic. Andujar, in particular, could prove a tricky prospect, having defeated Roger Federer en route to the semifinals in Geneva.
Also in Novak Djokovic's half is Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili, who has been in fine form since the start of the year. The 29-year-old triumphed in Doha before winning his first claycourt title in Munich.
Basilashvili has a relatively straightforward path to the semifinals, with local favorites Laslo Djere and Dusan Lajovic the only players likely to offer any resistance.
Semifinal prediction: Novak Djokovic vs Nikoloz Basilashivili
Bottom half: Gael Monfils looks to end dismal run of form
Top seeded players: [2] Gael Monfils, [4] Adrian Mannarino, [6] Filip Krajinovic, [8] Federico Delbonis
Expected semifinal: Gael Monfils vs Adrian Mannarino
Dark horse: Arthur Rinderknech
Gael Monfils has been in abysmal form since the tour restarted 10 months ago, which is perhaps why he has entered the draw in Belgrade as he looks to gain match sharpness before Roland Garros.
The Frenchman has a miserable 1-8 win-loss record since returning to the tour after the COVID-19 stoppage last year. His only win came in Lyon this week when he defeated Thiago Seyboth Wild in the first round.
Monfils has not been handed a kind draw whatsoever. The 34-year-old could come up against compatriot Arthur Rinderknech in the second round.
Rinderknech received a special exemption from qualification on account of his run in Lyon, where he shocked Jannik Sinner en route to the quarterfinals, which will be completed on Saturday due to rain delays.
Going by the seedings, Monfils is projected to face Federico Delbonis in the quarterfinals. The eighth-seeded Argentine has won nine of his last 11 matches and reached the quarterfinals in Belgrade in April.
He has already picked up wins over Pablo Carreno Busta, David Goffin, Karen Khachanov and Felix Auger Aliassime this month.
Filip Krajinovic and Adrian Mannarino highlight the opposite side of Monfils' half. The pair are likely to meet in the quarterfinals, given their relatively straightforward draws.
First up for Mannarino will be the winner of the first-round encounter between Lucas Pouille and Fernando Verdasco. Both Pouille and Verdasco are experienced campaigners, but are desperately searching for form after returning to the tour following long injury layoffs.
Krajinovic opens his campaign against local wildcard Hamad Medjedovic before a second-round meeting with either Pedja Krstin or Kwon Soonwoo.
Semifinal prediction: Filip Krajinovic vs Federico Delbonis
Notable first round matches
Pablo Cuevas vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Lucas Pouille vs Fernando Verdasco
Predicted final
Novak Djokovic vs Federico Delbonis
Predicted champion
Novak Djokovic