Italian Open 2022: Novak Djokovic's projected path to the final
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is slowly getting back to his best. He started the clay season with a tough three-set loss against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He fared well at the Serbia Open, where he lost to Andrey Rublev in the final.
Djokovic put up an even better performance at the Madrid Open, making the semifinals before losing a three-set thriller against Carlos Alcaraz. At the Italian Open, where he's had considerable success in the past, he's likely to perform even better.
Here's a look at Novak Djokovic's projected path to the final of the Italian Open.
Novak Djokovic's 2nd-round opponent - Aslan Karatsev or Lloyd Harris
Aslan Karatsev has struggled for form this season. Since winning his third title at the Sydney International in January, he has suffered early exits from most of the tournaments he has competed in. The Russian has been winless during the clay season so far.
Lloyd Harris' clay season has been disappointing as well. He lost in the first round of three tournaments, with his only wins coming at the Barcelona Open.
Novak Djokovic's likely 3rd-round opponent - Reilly Opelka
Reilly Opelka started his clay season by winning the title in Houston, but hasn't won a match since then. He has a decent draw in Rome, with Stan Wawrinka and Borna Coric his first two opponents. Both are on the comeback trail after injury, and aren't at their best.
Djokovic and Opelka haven't met before, but given the Serb's recent form, he should be able to beat the American quite comfortably. Wawrinka at his peak often troubled the World No. 1, but should the Swiss manage to reach this stage, Djokovic is likely to win quite handily.
Novak Djokovic's likely quarter-final opponent - Felix Auger-Aliassime or Diego Schwartzman
Felix Auger-Aliassime has lost in three consecutive quarterfinals heading into the Italian Open. Djokovic has not played against the Canadian so far. The youngster has often fallen short against top-ranked players, which could well end up being the case against the Serb as well.
Diego Schwartzman is another quarterfinal candidate. Aside from a second-round exit from the Madrid Open, he's had a great clay season. However, the Argentine has lost all six of his matches against the Serb.
Should these two lose early, Djokovic could face off against Miomir Kecmanovic. He recently defeated his compatriot in the quarterfinals of the Serbia Open and will likely do so again in Rome.
Novak Djokovic's likely semi-final opponent - Rafael Nadal
The King of Clay could stop Djokovic's progress in Rome yet again. However, Rafael Nadal is still finding his footing after returning from an injury break. The Spaniard is a 10-time champion at the Italian Open, so underestimating him would be unwise. He made it to the quarterfinals in Madrid, and like the Serb, is in need of a few more matches under his belt before Roland Garros.
Should they meet, it would be their first meeting since Djokovic defeated Nadal in the semifinals at Roland Garros last year.
Bitter-sweet quarterfinals 🎾
@MutuaMadridOpen https://t.co/OMETkhTj8Y
Novak Djokovic's likely opponent in the final - Carlos Alcaraz / Alexander Zverev / Stefanos Tsitsipas
The in-form Carlos Alcaraz just defeated Novak Djokovic in a three-set epic at the Madrid Open. The Serb will likely have to go through the young Spaniard if he wants to triumph in Rome.
THERE. IS. NO. ESCAPE. FROM. ALCARAZ.
@alcarazcarlos03 defeats Nadal & Djokovic BACK-TO-BACK to make a first #MMOPEN final 🤯 https://t.co/Ic7JRZ4LGB
Should Alcaraz stumble, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev are next in line to challenge the Serb in the title round. Both Next Gen players are in good form. The German defeated the World No. 1 in 2017 to win the Italian Open. Tsitsipas has already won the Monte-Carlo Masters this year and could prove a worthy adversary.