Novak Djokovic is bidding for his sixth title at the year-end championship. Casper Ruud is making his tournament debut.
That is just one of the reasons to expect a mismatch when Djokovic and Ruud square off during round-robin competition at the Nitto ATP Finals on Monday. Ruud has done most of his damage this season at events that Djokovic didn’t play, so it’s not too surprising that they haven’t yet met in 2021 and have gone head-to-head only once in their careers. Djokovic prevailed 7-5, 6-3 at last year’s Rome Masters.
Ruud was under the radar heading into this season, but he actually qualified for Turin with room to spare. The 22-year-old Norwegian captured five ATP titles (all at the 250 level, including four on clay) while also reaching quarterfinals in Toronto, Cincinnati, Vienna, and Paris.
Djokovic took a much-needed break after falling just short of the calendar-year Grand Slam at the U.S. Open, but he returned with a vengeance and won the Paris Masters after beating U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the final.
With his confidence restored, the top-ranked Serb should be in line for more success at the Nitto ATP Finals. He has won it five times, but he hasn’t lifted the trophy since 2015 and therefore has to be extremely motivated. The court also appears to be playing faster than it did in London, which is additional bad news for Ruud.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
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Joker in 2.
Djokovic can win this because there’s a lot in his favor at the moment. Zverev has gone off the boil, Medvedev has come off a bit, Tsitsipas has the SHB, and Hurkacz relies on his serve.
Medvedev is probably the only one that can stop him unless he gets fatigued which is unlikely.