Novak Djokovic will continue his bid for a first-ever gold medal at the Olympics when he takes the court against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Wednesday in Tokyo. Daniil Medvedev and Fabio Fognini are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (16) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Djokovic is obviously a massive favorite at the Tokyo Olympics and so far through two rounds he has been in cruise control. The top-ranked Serb opened with a 6-2, 6-2 beatdown of Hugo Dellien before taking care of Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-3 on Monday. Djokovic is 34-3 in 2021 and is on an 18-match winning streak that includes a title in Belgrade to go along with triumphs at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Up next for Djokovic on Wednesday is Davidovich Fokina, who lost their only previous meeting 6-2, 6-1 at the Rome Masters this spring. The 34th-ranked Spaniard has earned 22 of his 38 career main-tour match wins this year, but most of his best work has come on clay. He is 6-6 on hard courts in 2021, which includes a pair of Challenger Tour appearances. Davidovich Fokina does not have the offensive firepower to hit through Djokovic’s defense, so this should be a quick one even if the underdog plays well.
Pick: Djokovic in 2 losing 5-7 games
(15) Fabio Fognini vs. (2) Daniil Medvedev
Medvedev and Fognini will be facing each other for the fifth time in their careers on Wednesday. All four of their previous encounters have come on hard courts and Medvedev leads the head-to-head series 3-1. The Russian lost their first meeting but has since reeled off three victories in a row–most recently via a 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 decision at the 2020 ATP Cup.
Needless to say, Medvedev has been on a steady rise since falling to Fognini in 2017 at the Cincinnati Masters. Up to No. 2 in the world, the 25-year-old is 31-8 this season following Tokyo wins over Alexander Bublik and Sumit Nagal. Although Fognini is a far less reliable player, he has also advanced with a pair of straight-set successes (over Yuichi Sugita and Egor Gerasimov). The Italian is no slouch on hard courts, but right now he would probably have a real chance against Medvedev only on clay.
Pick: Medvedev in 2
Novak is cruising along – so far, so good. Perhaps I need to be more worried but I am not, his next opponent is Kei. Kei has been looking sharp.
Though I do like Karen Khachanov I hope Ugo Humbert wins. He is irresistible and very good on the piano too. https://youtu.be/t31UX7Yvqos