Monte-Carlo Masters 2024: Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Musetti preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Musetti
Date: April 11, 2024
Tournament: Monte-Carlo Masters 2024
Round: Third Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Monte Carlo Country Club
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €5,950,575
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel - USA | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Musetti preview
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will lock horns with Lorenzo Musetti in the third round of the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday.
After a first-round bye, Djokovic commenced his campaign here against Roman Safiullin. The Serb breezed through the first set as he clinched it for the loss of just one game.
The second set proved to be no different as Djokovic continued to dictate the play. He broke Safiullin's serve twice in it to register a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 victory and record his 37th win at the venue.
Musetti handed 13th seed Taylor Fritz a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to set up a second-round showdown against Arthur Fils. The Italian was off to a fast start in the first set as he raced to a 3-0 lead.
Musetti maintained his position as the frontrunner and soon claimed the opener. He continued to impress in the second set as well as he broke Fils' serve a couple of times to go 5-2 up.
Musetti was on the cusp of victory when he encountered some resistance from Fils. The latter stopped him from serving out the match and bagged three games in a row to level the score. However, the Italian halted his momentum as he nabbed the next couple of games for a 6-3, 7-5 win.
Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Musetti head-to-head
Djokovic leads Musetti 3-1 in the head-to-head. The Italian won their previous encounter at last year's Monte-Carlo Masters in three sets.
Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Musetti odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Musetti prediction
Djokovic was in fine form in his first clay match of the year. He didn't face a single break point on his serve and had break point chances on every single service game of Safiullin's.
Musetti on was course for a routine win as well but dropped the ball towards the end. He recovered nicely to stop a resurgent Fils in his tracks. While he has a losing record against Djokovic, the Italian has given him trouble on clay in the past.
Two of their four matches have been on clay. Musetti led Djokovic by two sets to love at the 2021 French Open before the latter fought back to level the match. The 22-year-old eventually retired towards the end of the final set due to an injury.
Djokovic was on track to score his fourth consecutive win over Musetti when they crossed paths in the third round of last year's Monte-Carlo Masters. He claimed the first set but his younger rival staged a comeback to oust him instead.
Musetti is certainly a worthy competitor to be wary of on clay. However, given Djokovic's dominant performance in the previous round, it's tough to see him go out this early unless he drops his level considerably.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.