Wimbledon 2022: Novak Djokovic vs Tim van Rijthoven preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs (WC) Tim van Rijthoven.
Date: July 3, 2022.
Tournament: Wimbledon 2022.
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16).
Venue: London, United Kingdom.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: £40,350,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports & Disney+ Hotstar app.
Novak Djokovic vs Tim van Rijthoven preview
Three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic will lock horns with Dutch wildcard Tim van Rijthoven in the fourth round of the 2022 Wimbledon on Sunday.
Djokovic has gotten better with every match at the Championships so far. Following a four-set win over Kwon Soon-woo, he defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets and was his dominating best against Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round.
Djokovic dialed in right from the start of the match, dishing out a bagel to claim the first set. After saving a break point, Kecmanovic finally got on the board in the second set. However, the pressure from the defending champion was relentless.
Djokovic got the decisive break towards the end of the set and proceeded to serve it out in the following game. He raced to a 3-1 lead in the third set, which he further extended to 5-2. Kecmanovic showed some signs of a fightback by breaking his opponent's serve as he tried to close out the proceedings.
Following an unsuccessful first attempt, Djokovic stepped up to close out the match for a second time. This time, there were no hiccups as he won 6-0, 6-3, 6-4.
"Let's get to 100 [match wins at Wimbledon] before the youngsters take over"
Stefan Djokovic is a chip off the old block 😎
#Wimbledon | @DjokerNole https://t.co/NjhPP0Ahoj
Tim van Rijthoven rose to prominence following his triumph at the Libema Open last month. He hadn't won an ATP match prior to winning the title there. He has continued his good run of form at Wimbledon as well. He defeated Federico Delbonis and Reilly Opelka to set up a third-round clash with Nikoloz Basilashvili.
van Rijthoven secured a break of serve in the ninth game of the opening set against Basilashvili before serving it out to clinch it. He raced to a quick 5-1 lead in the second set, but lost serve while trying to serve it out the first time. However, he immediately broke Basilashvili's serve in the next game to take the set.
After trading breaks early on in the third set, the duo remained on serve until the end. With Basilashvili serving to stay in the match at 5-4, the pressure proved to be too much. van Rijthoven broke him for the final time to win 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
Novak Djokovic vs Tim van Rijthoven head-to-head
They've not met prior to this on the tour, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Novak Djokovic vs Tim van Rijthoven odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Novak Djokovic vs Tim van Rijthoven prediction
Djokovic was mighty impressive in his third-round win over Kecmanovic. He hit 36 winners and committed just 19 unforced errors. His forehand in particular was quite deadly, with most of the winners coming off of that wing.
van Rijthoven played a pretty good match as well. He hammered 21 aces in the third round and his serving prowess will be put to the test against Djokovic, who's one of the best returners on the tour. The Serb has had a tough year at the Majors so far, and he looks focused and motivated to take the title here.
The Dutch player's currently on an eight-match winning streak and will be feeling quite confident. But getting the best of Djokovic on Centre Court is a challenge that very few players have managed to overcome. van Rijthoven's fairytale run is likely to end here as the defending champion continues his title defense.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.