US Open 2020: Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta

Date: 6 September 2020

Tournament: US Open 2020

Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $39,024,000

Match timing: Not before 2 pm EDT, 11.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel/ESPN | India - Star Sports/Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta preview

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will look to strengthen his bid for an 18th Grand Slam title as he faces off against Pablo Carreno Busta in the fourth round of the US Open on Sunday.

Djokovic entered the US Open amidst controversy, as he resigned from the position of president at the ATP Players' Council to form a separate players' union knowns as the PTPA - a move for which he has received criticism from the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Since then, the Serb has faced constant scrutiny from all over the tennis world and has embraced his position. He even intervened between the USTA and Adrian Mannarino, amid the delay of the Frenchman's third round match due to him having been in contact with Benoit Paire.

Djokovic on Mannarino's situation. "I was also trying to get to the people that are in the highest positions in New York state through some of the contacts, trying to get to the governor of New York. I understood that he was the only one that could actually make the decision".
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) September 5, 2020

But the World No. 1 has let none of these events interfere with his remarkable form on the court. Djokovic remains unbeaten in 2020, having won tournaments at the ATP Cup, Australian Open and the Dubai Open before the pandemic.

The Serb also won the Cincinnati Masters last week despite being made to work hard in the semifinal and the final, and has since beaten his early round opponents in routine fashion at the US Open.

Djokovic's opponent on Sunday, Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta, is an experienced player on the tour. Carreno Busta comes into the fourth round having found his footing after a hard-fought first round match against Yasutaka Uchiyama; the Spaniard has won his subsequent matches in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta head-to-head

Novak Djokovic and Pablo Carreno Busta at the Monte Carlo Masters 2014.

This will be the 4th meeting between Novak Djokovic and Pablo Carreno Busta, and their head-to-head currently stands at 3-0 in favor of the Serb. Djokovic prevailed 6-3 6-4 in their last meeting, at the Cincinnati Masters in 2019.

Before that, the World No. 1 saw out a hard-fought match at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2017, winning 6-2 4-6 6-4. Their first meeting was also in Monte Carlo (in 2015), where Novak Djokovic won in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta prediction

Given his blistering form, it's hard to bet against Novak Djokovic winning his 27th match on the trot to advance to the quarterfinals. The Serb has shown very few signs of weakness in the last two weeks at Flushing Meadows, and his game has been firing on all cylinders.

Although both players are in decent serving form, Carreno Busta will look to slow down the rhythm of the match and engage in long and exhausting rallies from the baseline. However, Djokovic has shown that he can more than hold his own against different kinds of players on the quick hardcourts in New York.

Barring any injury concerns or a big dip in form, he should overcome any challenge posed by the Spaniard with ease.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.