French Open 2024: Novak Djokovic vs Francisco Cerundolo preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs (23) Francisco Cerundolo
Date: June 3, 2024
Tournament: French Open 2024
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Clay (Outdoor)
Prize Money: £53,478,000
Live Telecast: USA - NBC, Tennis Channel, Peacock | Canada - TSN, RDS | UK - Eurosport, Discovery+ | India - Sony Ten
Novak Djokovic vs Francisco Cerundolo preview
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will face Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round of the 2024 French Open on Monday, June 3.
Djokovic commenced his title defense with routine wins over Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Roberto Carballes Baena. He took on 30th seed Lorenzo Musetti for a spot in the fourth round.
The Serb found himself down a break in the first set but flipped the script to take the opener. Musetti returned the favor in the next set, coming from a break down to one-up his older rival in the tie-break.
Musetti continued to put Djokovic on the backfoot as he captured the third set to put himself in the driver's seat. With his back up against the wall, the Serb did what he does best, stage another epic comeback.
The defending champion raised his level to seize the fourth set, and finished the match on a high by dishing out a bagel to complete a 7-5, 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 comeback win.
Cerundolo eliminated Yannick Hanfmann and Filip Misolic to make the third round, where he was up against 14th seed Tommy Paul. The Argentine was all over the place in the first set, which slipped out of his grasp as he got outplayed by his opponent.
Cerundolo went down a break at the start of the second set but fought back to capture the set. The momentum swung in his favor after that, and he was the better player in the next two sets as he beat Paul 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.
Novak Djokovic vs Francisco Cerundolo head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Novak Djokovic vs Francisco Cerundolo odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Novak Djokovic vs Francisco Cerundolo prediction
Musetti had Djokovic on the ropes but the latter wore him down towards the end to emerge victorious after competing for more than four hours. The Serb could've won the match a lot earlier but made some questionable choices, including standing way behind the baseline in the second and third sets while returning.
Cerundolo staged a comeback of his own to down Paul and reach the fourth round here for the second year in a row. He's a pretty good shotmaker and when he's on, he has one of the best forehands in the business. Unfortunately, he has been quite inconsistent this season.
If Cerundolo maintains his current level, then he could give Djokovic a tough fight. However, outlasting the Serb in five sets is no easy task, as he has proven time and time again. The defending champion usually raises his level after a close shave like the one in the previous round, which diminishes the Argentine's odds of winning.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in four sets.