Novak Djokovic will take on Holger Rune in the 2023 Paris Masters quarter-final after losing to him in the Paris Masters final last year.
Yes, it was a pretty good match between Rune and Djokovic as the Serbian allowed a pretty strong comeback from the Danish rising star. Djokovic was on the verge of winning that match, but Rune kept fighting and ultimately beat the Serbian to win his biggest trophy to date.
It's not the last time they played either because they played earlier this year at the Italian Open, and Rune once again won, so there is something in the matchup that bothers the Serbian.
Djokovic hasn't impressed in Paris so far, but that's not a surprise. He's likely pacing himself just enough, and he turned around the match against Tallon Griekspoor when he really needed to.
Rune has looked pretty damn good, though, so expect a close match here. Can the Dane make it three in a row, though?
Head-to-head:
As mentioned above, Rune beat Djokovic two times in a row and will look to make it three times in a row later on Friday. There is a solid chance that he will do so, but it will require his best effort.
Djokovic's lone win against Rune came in 2021 at the US Open, and even then, the Serbian dropped a set. I could see him struggle here, but how likely is it that he will lose?
Prediction:
It's not very likely, which is why the bookies favour Djokovic by a lot. Even so, I'm going to go against everybody here and pick Rune to win simply because I think he'll want to win more.
Djokovic probably cares more about the ATP Finals than Paris, and it's part of why he lost to Rune last year. Rune is not playing as well as last year, but I think he'll give it his all to win the match.
Having Boris Becker, Djokovic's former coach, prepare him might be huge as well, so I'm going to pick him to win.
Prediction: Holger Rune to win in three sets.
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