Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem were the 2 big “winners” of the opening matches in London. It was widely expected that Novak beat Matteo Berrettini, but the scoreline (6-2 6-1) was extremely straightforward. On the other side, even if Dominic Thiem was enjoying a positive 4-2 record ahead of his clash against Roger Federer he was not the favorite against the Swiss whose tennis is much better tuned than the Austrian’s on indoor courts. Nevertheless, Dominic won 7-5 7-5.
How Djokovic and Thiem can qualify for the semifinals in London
Novak and Dominic will face each other on Tuesday at 6 pm.
Nole is the obvious favorite to win the all thing at these ATP Finals. In addition, he can qualify straight to the semifinals if he defeats Thiem and Berrettini beats Federer or if he beats Thiem in straight sets while Roger defeats Matteo at the decider.
Dominic can also qualify already after his second match. The scenario is similar to the one in the previous paragrapher. Therefore, Thiem will reach the final 4 if he beats Djokovic and Berrettini beats Federer or if he defeats Djokovic in 2 sets and the Swiss beats the Italian in 3 sets.
How Federer can qualify for the semifinals
Losing to Dominic Thiem was a huge blow for Roger Federer’s chances to qualify for the semifinals. As per his own words, he is now like playing a “normal tournament” as he needs to win all his matches if he wants to keep his run. roger’s biggest problem is that after facing Berrettini as the overwhelming favorite, he has then to defeat Novak Djokovic.
In addition, it is not even granted that he will qualify for the final 4 if he defeats Matteo and Novak. For example, in that case, if Djokovic beats Thiem and Thiem beats Berrettini, Djokovic, Thiem, and Federer will have the same amount of wins (2 each). It would be a complicated calculation about the percentage of sets and game won to decide who moves on in the tournament.
Djokovic about playing Thiem
Talking about the Austrian, the world no.2 commented: “We know how good of a player he is on clay. He’s been proving that he can play equally well on other surfaces. He’s already established as a Top 5, Top 10 player. We don’t need to talk about his qualities. Quality is great. His dedication and professionalism and hard work ethics are fantastic, and he’s a really nice guy. So all positive things about him.”
Djokovic is the best right now. THIEM
Dominic acknowledged that it will be a tough task for him to face the Serb to comment: “I think he’s the best right now. He proved that also in Bercy where he didn’t somehow play his best tennis but still won the title pretty easy, so that’s how good his level is.
I will watch that match in Roland Garros a little bit, because it was very good, of course. Was also, most of the time, the right tactics I played. Of course, it’s not the same here. It was clay outdoor back then and now indoor. But some things I can use, for sure, in the match on Tuesday
Probably right now it’s the biggest challenge you can face, to play Novak.”
Djokovic in London, ranking, and results in 2019
Ranked no.2, Djokovic has a 54-9 win-loss record in 2019. The Serbian is currently competing in London where he bested Matteo Berrettini 6-2 6-1.
Novak play Thiem in the next match. however, the big clash will be the one against Roger Federer in the last match of the Round Robin. The head to head is 26-22 for Djokovic.
The last time that they fought against each other, Djokovic won 7-65 1-6 7-64 4-6 13-123 in the final in Wimbledon on the 14th July 2019.
Novak conquered 5 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Madrid, in Wimbledon, in Tokyo and in Paris. The Serbian was the finalist in Rome.
The Serbian won 77 titles in his career: 44 on hard courts, 14 on clay courts, 13 on indoor courts and 6 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Predictions
Thiem in London, ranking, and results in 2019
Ranked no.5, the Austrian has a 45-15 win-loss record in 2019. The Austrian is currently having a run in London where he ousted Roger Federer 7-5 7-5.
The Austrian will face Djokovic in the Round Robin. The head to head is 6-3 for Djokovic.
The last time that they locked horns, Thiem won 6-2 3-6 7-5 5-7 7-5 in the semifinal in Roland Garros on the 08th June 2019.
Thiem has won 5 titles in 2019 in Indian Wells, in Barcelona, in Kitzbuhel, in Beijing and in Vienna. Dominic was the finalist at the French Open.
The Austrian won 16 titles in his career: 3 on hard courts, 10 on clay courts, 2 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem played each other 9 times. The head to head is 6-3 for Djokovic.
The last time that they locked horns, Dominic Thiem won 6-2 3-6 7-5 5-7 7-5 in the semifinal in Paris on the 08th June 2019.
Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem |
| Embed from Getty Images |
