Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev will kick off their Monte-Carlo campaigns during second-round action on Wednesday. They are going up against in-form Italians Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego, respectively.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Jannik Sinner
Sinner will get a shot at Djokovic for the first time in his young career when perhaps one of the game’s next great starts faces one of the all-time greats in round two of the Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday afternoon. With Sinner already playing elite tennis at 19 years old, this could be a good one. The Italian is up to No. 22 in the world thanks to a pair of ATP titles, a quarterfinal run at the 2020 French Open, and a runner-up performance in Miami. Sinner opened in Monte-Carlo on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Albert Ramos-Vinolas, improving to 15-5 for the season.
Of course, no one has been better than Djokovic of late. The top-ranked Serb has not played a ton in 2021, but he is a perfect 9-0–2-0 at the ATP Cup followed by seven wins at the Australian Open en route to his ninth title at Melbourne Park. However, this is Djokovic’s first match since the triumph down under (Feb. 21). Being rusty and perhaps lacking some motivation in a non-slam situation, Djokovic could be in line for a scare before he likely picks up the pace when the pressure from Sinner mounts.
Pick: Djokovic in 3
Lorenzo Sonego vs. (5) Alexander Zverev
Djokovic and Zverev may be on a collision course for the quarterfinals, but neither man should be looking ahead. Up first for Zverev is a different red-hot Italian in the form of Sonego, who is coming off his second career title in Cagliari. The 25-year-old is up to a career-high ranking of No. 28 and he has already won 11 matches this season following Tuesday’s 6-3, 6-4 victory over Marton Fucsovics.
Like Djokovic, Zverev is contesting his first clay-court match of 2021. The sixth-ranked German was all over the place on hard courts the past few months, losing his opener at two events (including Miami) while also capturing the Acapulco title and reaching the quarters of the Aussie Open. This will likely be an entertaining affair, as well, but Sonego may run out of gas following last week’s run in Cagliari and Zverev should find his footing on clay in time to prevail.
Pick: Zverev in 3
WWW?
Djokovic in 3 (maybe in 2)
Zverev in 3
Nole in 2, with a tight first set.
Ricky hedging his bets by posting a guest with the opposite prediction.
Like a true unprincipled American. Win at all costs.
I can assure you Ricky and I are two different people. But how is it the opposite prediction? We both said Nole would win the match, which wasn’t the hardest pick in the world.
But thanks for the laughs anyway 🤣
You might be two different people but you are colluding to deceive your visitors. It’s an American website so no surprise. You guys are the masters of deception and cheating.
It’s too hard to simply be a decent human being. There has to be an agenda and a winner at everything.