World Tennis League 2022: Novak Djokovic vs Nick Kyrgios preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Novak Djokovic (Team Falcons) vs Nick Kyrgios (Team Eagles).
Date: 21 December 2022.
Tournament: World Tennis League.
Round: Group stage.
Venue: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Category: Exhibition Tournament.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Match timing: Approx 9 pm local time, 5 pm GMT, 12 noon ET and 10:30 pm IST.
Live telecast: USA, UK - Tennis Channel | Australia - Stan Sport | India - Jio Cinema & Sports 18.
Novak Djokovic vs Nick Kyrgios preview
Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will take on 2022 Australian Open doubles champion Nick Kyrgios in the group stage of the World Tennis League on Wednesday.
Djokovic was up against Alexander Zverev in his previous singles match. He started strong, breaking his opponent's serve in the very first game of the match. He followed it up with a quick hold of serve to make it 2-0. His younger opponent then bagged the next three games in a row to get back on serve.
The 35-year-old held serve once again, after which Zverev claimed the next three games to take the opening set. The pair traded service breaks to start the second set, but the German pulled ahead by winning three consecutive games yet again. The Serbian was unable to stage a comeback as he went on to lose 6-3, 6-4.
Kyrgios was on double duty during his team's first group tie. He teamed up with Bianca Andreescu for the mixed doubles match, which they won by defeating Eugenie Bouchard and Holger Rune. He took to the court once again for his singles contest against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Kyrgios jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first set, but his younger opponent won the next three games on the trot to level the score. The two remained steady on serve over the next few games, but Auger-Aliassime ran away with the last three games to clinch the set.
The Canadian broke Kyrgios' serve in the fifth game of the second set to go 3-2 up and solidified his lead with a hold of serve. Auger-Aliassime broke his opponent's serve once again in the last game of the match to defeat the Australian 7-5, 6-3.
Novak Djokovic vs Nick Kyrgios head-to-head
Kyrgios leads Djokovic 2-1 in the head-to-head. The latter won their last match at the 2022 Wimbledon in four sets.
Novak Djokovic vs Nick Kyrgios odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Novak Djokovic vs Nick Kyrgios prediction
Kyrgios' serve in his previous match was pretty decent, but less lethal compared to his usual standards. His second serve was constantly attacked and he managed to win just 26% points off of it. Against a capable returner like Djokovic, he'll need to step up considerably.
As for the Serb himself, his match against Zverev was quite alright. He could've done a bit more, but trying out a slightly different game plan cost him. With too many drop shots, serve and volley attempts among other things, Djokovic strayed a bit away from the style that guaranteed him sureshot success, though an exhibition match is certainly the place to experiment with tactics.
Their previous match was the Wimbledon final earlier this year, with Djokovic staging a comeback to win the title. Kyrgios does have a couple of wins over him, but both of those were when his opponent was going through a rough patch. Expect the 35-year to withstand a challenge from the Australian to come out on top.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.