There's no doubt about Novak Djokovic being a favourite to win the 2022 Serbia Open in his own Novak Tennis Center in Belgrade as the Serbian hit the practice courts.
Novak Djokovic is the first seed at the 2022 Serbia Open, which will take place in Belgrade from April 18th to 24th. The Serbian is a two-time champion at the event when he triumphed in 2009 and 2011. However, last year, he was stopped by Aslan Karatsev, who defeated him in the semifinals.
After losing his opening match of the clay-court season this year, Djokovic will be looking to prepare well for the remainder of the season in his hometown. After not playing for the majority of the season, it will be important for world number 1 to get some matches behind his belt ahead of the 2022 Roland Garros, where he will attempt to match Rafael Nadal's record of 21 Grand Slam titles.
However, while many see Djokovic as a clear favorite to win the event as it's only an ATP 250 tournament and it's played in his own tennis center, his draw is really difficult, and he will face many obstacles on his way to the title.
Djokovic has a bye in the first round and will face one of his countrymen, Laslo Djere or Hamad Medjedovic, in the second round. Djere is a very solid clay-court player and was in quite good form when he reached the third round of the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters, where he was stopped by later champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.
In the quarterfinals, he can face a handful of difficult opponents, including 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem or veteran Richard Gasquet. But probably the most difficult quarterfinal opponent for Djokovic might be the seventh-seeded Miomir Kecmanovic, who is currently coached by David Nalbandian and showed some great performances in the 2022 season.
Possible semifinal opponents include the third-seeded Karen Khachanov or another Serbian, Filip Krajinovic, who will meet in-form David Goffin in the first round.
The second part of the draw, and possibly Djokovic's final opponent, consists of names such as Fabio Fognini, Andrey Rublev, or the person who stopped him last year—Aslan Karatsev.
Knowing that he will face a difficult draw in Belgrade, Djokovic prepares on the courts in Belgrade, as spotted by one of the fans. The world number one won't play at least until Wednesday, as on Tuesday, the first-round match between his potential second-round opponents will be played.
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