It will be a five-time year-end championship winner versus a tournament debutant when Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini kick off the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals festivities on Sunday afternoon.
Berrettini’s first appearance inside the O2 Arena will also mark his first-ever meeting with Djokovic–a tall task, to be sure. It is certainly an unexpected setting for this head-to-head showdown, as Berrettini was nowhere near the London picture heading into this season. Prior to the 2019 campaign his career-high ranking was No. 52 in the world. Out of basically nowhere, the 23-year-old Italian soared to eighth in the rankings with a 42-21 record, two titles, and a semifinal run at the U.S. Open.
“I know that I am not a favorite, but I am very motivated to do well and give it all,” Berrettini assured. “For months I could not even dream of qualifying so I did not give up anything now. I think I am still not fully aware of what I have achieved by qualifying for this tournament.”
Djokovic has qualified 12 times, lifting the trophy in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. The second-ranked Serb will be especially eager to tie Roger Federer with six titles after finishing runner-up in each of his last two appearances (2016 and 2018).
Since retiring from a U.S. Open match against Stan Wawrinka due to a shoulder injury, Djokovic has bounced back in impressive fashion on the fall swing. He rolled to the Tokyo title, reached the Shanghai semis, and triumphed in Paris for a fifth time. Berrettini, on the other hand, is just 8-5 this fall.
Lopsided matches have been a big part of the London story over the past six years and the 2019 tournament will likely get off to a similar start.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
[polldaddy poll=10450944]
[polldaddy poll=10451817]
[polldaddy poll=10450924]
[polldaddy poll=10449074]
WWW?
Assuming Berrettini will roll over here to help out Djokovic. They both have the same guy feeding them data analytics and I assume Novak won’t allow this to be to his detriment.