Novak Djokovic has won back-to-back matches for the first time since the Australian Open, and now he aims to make it three in a row against Alex de Minaur.
This year hasn't been what Djokovic wanted it to be. He has failed to win a single trophy so far, and the season is already in April. He played only a few events, though, so in that sense, it's not a major shock, but he hasn't played at the level fans expected from him.
It looked much better this week at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters, thanks to the win over Roman Safiullin and then the super solid win over an in-form Lorenzo Musetti.
The Italian beat Djokovic in Monaco last year, and he's playing better this year, which shows that Djokovic is playing at a decent level this week. His upcoming match will be complicated against a good player who has played amazing tennis this year.
De Minaur might not be a natural fit on clay, but he's gotten a lot better on it in recent years thanks to living in Spain and having many clay courts nearby.
Head-to-head:
Djokovic and de Minaur have played only two times so far, and both have one win. The 24-time major winner won the first match at the 2023 Australian Open, while de Minaur won the one this year at the United Cup.
They have never played on anything but hard courts or away from Australia. It's a pretty interesting H2H, but it won't tell us much. Djokovic is the better player on clay and likely will remain so in the future, but that doesn't mean he can't lose one match.
De Minaur proved early this year that he's good enough to beat him, and he's played pretty solid lately.
| Novak Djokovic | Alex de Minaur | |
| 1 | H2H | 1 |
| 1 | Rank | 11 |
| 36 | Age | 25 |
| 10-3 | 2024 W/L | 22-6 |
| 1097-216 | Career W/L | 224-140 |
Prediction:
He's defending and attacking at a crazy level and looks comfortable in the big spots, so he might just beat Djokovic again this year. Still, I don't think he will because Djokovic looks a bit too focused right now.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in three sets.
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