Djokovic vs Medvedev was the final of the 2021 US Open just a couple of months ago. Now, the two will tangle in the final of the Rolex Paris Masters, in the last top-tier men’s tennis action we’ll see before the ATP Finals to close out the year. In our latest tennis predictions, we will take a look at this match and decide which of these greats will take the final Masters 1000 trophy of the 2021 campaign.
Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev Betting Pick
Why Bet On Medvedev:
✅ It is human nature to want to back Novak Djokovic as a slight underdog in this match. But Djokovic has been taken to a third set by Marton Fucsovics and Hubert Hurkacz this week. He is not playing his best tennis, and has already accomplished his goal this week of clinching the year-end number one ranking.
✅ Daniil Medvedev tore Djokovic apart on a faster surface at the US Open final, beating him in straight sets there. On a slower indoor hard court, Djokovic will have even more trouble hitting through Medvedev, as he is currently the player whose groundstrokes are lacking relative to those of the Russian.
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✅ There is also an overrated “revenge” angle being floated around for this Djokovic vs Medvedev match, as many expect Djokovic to want revenge against Medvedev for the US Open final. Neither of these players will see this match as one where Djokovic can get revenge on Medvedev, as that type of revenge is reserved for Grand Slam events.
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has done a nice job of getting to the final of the Rolex Paris Masters, especially with this being his first event since dropping the US Open final to his opponent in this match. But it hasn’t been easy for Djokovic this week, as he has needed three sets to win two of his three matches on the week. He has also benefited from a walkover against an opponent Gael Monfils that the world number one is 17-0 against lifetime.
Watching Djokovic this week, he has not been convincing with his groundstrokes, with the slow surface impacting his ability to hit through the court. It is hard enough to hit through Medvedev on a fast court, let alone one as slow as what we’ve seen in Paris. And with Djokovic already locking up the year-end number one ranking with his performance this week, one has to wonder how much fire we see from Djokovic here.
Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev has won eight of the nine sets he has played this week in Paris, winning three of his four matches in straight sets. He was taken to a third by Seb Korda of the United States in his second match, but Medvedev has looked great since, knocking out Sascha Zverev in straight sets on Saturday. Here, the Russian number one looks to back up his US Open final victory over Djokovic.
This match has all the makings of a defensive war between two players who are so difficult to hit through. But the difference could be how well Medvedev angles his shots and can turn that into offense when the pace is harder to generate. Combine that with Medvedev looking to strike a blow toward next year’s rankings with a title here, and this match will be interesting to say the least.