Novak Djokovic vs. Holger Rune
At a recent Australian Open, Djokovic was carrying a leg injury into the tournament. He moved gingerly through the early rounds, as the tennis world speculated about how far and how long he could push himself. Then, at a certain point, it became clear that Djokovic’s injury was helping mentally—by lowering the stakes of a defeat—than it was hurting him physically. He won the title.
If he can beat Rune in this fourth-rounder, will we start to think the same thing about his left knee?
So far Djokovic hasn’t been at his best. His movement is hampered slightly, and he’s hitting some balls late. He has dropped two sets in three matches, but he’s surviving and advancing. Against Rune, though, that probably won’t be enough.
👉 WHAT’S THE BEST BET IN NOLE/RUNE? Pick of the Day
Djokovic leads Rune 3-2 in their head-to-head, and while the Serb has won the last two, both matches went to three sets, and featured multiple tiebreakers. Rune has had something of a disappointing season, and he had to go five to beat Quentin Halys in his last match. But he has the physicality to stay with Djokovic, and he’s one of the rare opponents who comes at him with the confidence that he can win.
“I think he’s a very all-around player,” Djokovic says of Rune. “He can play equally fast and well and aggressive, both aggressive and defensive from both corners, forehand, backhand. All surfaces.”
Despite all of that, and despite his recovering knee, I won’t pick against Djokovic, who hasn’t lost before the final here since 2017. Winner: Djokovic
