Novak Djokovic will be hoping to bounce back from a Nitto ATP Finals round-robin loss to Jannik Sinner when he plays his last match in the Green Group against Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday afternoon.
It’s far from over for Djokovic in Turin, as he will still be in great shape to qualify for the semifinals if he defeats Hurkacz. The top-ranked Serb preceded his 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) setback against Sinner by beating Holger Rune 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 6-3 on Sunday.
The story is much different for Hurkacz, who may be in “just happy to be here” mode as an alternate. Stefanos Tsitsipas withdrew from the tournament because of a back injury following his retirement against Rune on Tuesday, so Hurkacz is in as an alternate. The ninth-ranked Pole is making his second appearance in Turin and is still searching for a maiden victory. He went winless in 2021, taking round-robin losses to Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev.
Still, Hurkacz is dangerous. Even though he can’t advance beyond this one match, the 26-year-old will be motivated by plenty of ranking points and prize money on the line. The lightnight-fast indoor hard court suits Hurkacz’s game extremely well, too.
Hurkacz is 0-6 lifetime against Djokovic, but the underdog has been competitive at times. He lost in four sets at Wimbledon in 2019, fell in a third-set tiebreaker at the 2021 Paris Masters, and went down 7-6(6), 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 this summer at the All-England Club in a match in which he arguably should have won each of the two tiebreakers.
It’s hard to see Hurkacz getting over the hump against Djokovic at an event the 36-year-old has won six times. Potentially needing a win if he wants to reach the semis, Djokovic should turn in a rock-solid performance and take care of business–but at least one tiebreaker and maybe even two can be expected.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
WWW?
Hubie makes the most of his ONE match….in 3.
If Djok needs to win in order to qualify,don’t know how this works now Romeo withdrew, then he will win.
Gosh Petchey’s adoration of Novak is embarrassing. So biased in his commentary.
It’s a big pity Romeo didn’t pull out earlier to give Hubi a chance of qualifying. Also to prevent a scenario where Rune gets a straight set win by default.