"Novak Djokovic is most certainly the favourite to win in Belgrade" - Andrey Rublev
Ahead of his tournament opener at the Serbia Open in Belgrade, Andrey Rublev stated that top seed Novak Djokovic is expected to triumph at his home tournament.
The 24-year-old Russian is slated to open his campaign at the ATP 250 claycourt event on Wednesday against either Henri Laaksonen or Jiri Lehecka. Meanwhile, top seed Novak Djokovic will also play his first match of the tournament on the same day against either Hamad Medjedovic or Laslo Djere.
At his pre-tournament press conference, Rublev said he expects the World No. 1 to "give his all" to try and win the title in front of his home fans.
“It is still a little too early to tell, but Novak Djokovic is most certainly the favourite to win in Belgrade. He will give his all in front of his home crowd," Rublev said.
When asked about his form and goals for the season and the tournament in Serbia going into the claycourt season, Rublev stated that much like many other players he was playing tournaments to win them.
" I mean of course I would like to reach the final or win. I think every player would want this, it's normal, that's what we're playing tennis for. Every player is coming to play a tournament to try and win," Rublev added.
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Novak Djokovic's 2022 season so far
Novak Djokovic has had a bizarre 2022 campaign thus far. He was unable to defend his title at the Australian Open, as he was deported from the country due to his COVID-19 vaccine status. In the Serb's absence, Rafael Nadal triumphed for the second time in Melbourne to become the first player to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles, breaking a deadlock with Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Djokovic eventually started his season in Dubai, but the 2020 champion crashed out in the quarterfinals, losing in straight sets to Czech journeyman Jiri Vesely. The Serb missed the Sunshine Double due to his unvaccinated status. He started his claycourt season in Monte-Carlo, where the two-time winner was upset by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round.
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Making his sixth visit to the the Serbia Open, the top-seeded Djokovic could face compatriot Laslo Djere in his tournament opener before a potential blockbuster quarterfinal against the returning Dominic Thiem. The Austrian has not played on the ATP tour since Mallorca last summer where he suffered a wrist injury.
Djokovic could meet Karen Khachanov or Filip Krajinovic in the last four before a possible title showdown with the in-form Rublev or Aslan Karatsev. Karatsev beat Djokovic in last year's tournament and could cause the Serb trouble. In their only meeting on tour at the ATP Finals in Turin last year, Djokovic beat Rublev in straight sets in the round-robin stage.
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