ATP Masters in Madrid, Round of 16, Thursday, 05.05.2022
Two strong Spaniards and one who seems to be finding his way back to old strength? If you take a look at the tableau of favourites at the Madrid Open, you will land quite quickly on this trio.
The world No. 1 has been struggling with various problems this year, but now seems to be finding his feet again just in time for the French Open. Read my Djokovic Murray tip to find out why I think the Serb has a lot to play for in this tournament!
To describe Novak Djokovic’s tennis year 2022, you don’t really need many words. The world’s best player is not allowed to compete in various tournaments due to his lack of vaccination, and Madrid is only his fourth stop.
In Dubai, he was defeated by Jiri Vesely, and in Monte Carlo he lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round. It was not until his home tournament in Belgrade that things went a little better, but with Laslo Djere, Miomir Kecmanovic and Karen Khachanov he did not have the most difficult opponents.
The Djoker could never win outright. This took its revenge in the final, where he lost 2-6, 7-6, 0-6 to Andrey Rublev. His performance is not yet sufficient to play an important role at the French Open.
The red clay is not Djokovic’s favourite surface, every year he needs a few weeks to get used to it. In Madrid, however, he seems to feel comfortable right from the start.
He started the tournament with a commanding 6-3, 6-2 win over Gael Monfils, fending off all five break chances he gave his opponent. After 2011, 2016 and 2019, he is looking for his fourth triumph in the Spanish capital.
The fact that he now has to play Andy Murray will remind many fans of 2016, when the two met in the final! 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, Djokovic had to fight hard for his victory.
The direct comparison yields unbelievable figures: they have already faced each other 36 times! Of course, after all, there are 68 years on the court here. The Djoker leads with 25:11, but they haven’t faced each other since 2017.
The 34-year-old is showing his best side in Madrid, finally wanting to get further than a round of 16 again. This year, the fans have always seen a fighting Andy Murray, but he has failed against really strong opponents.
Many expected it to be the same in Madrid. He had won against Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4, which meant that the duel against Denis Shapovalov was on the agenda. Although in the role of the underdog, Murray started like the fire brigade.
In the end, he only took a short time-out, celebrated a 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. Three break chances for Shapovalov, one allowed, 78% won points on the first serve, the Scot shone like in his best times!
My Djokovic Murray tip
I can’t praise Murray’s performances highly enough these days, as what the veteran showed against Shapovalov made it seem like he’s still in his prime.
However, I can also clearly see an upward form curve of Novak Djokovic, who feels more and more comfortable on clay. When the Serb gets rolling, he is almost unstoppable.
Consequently, I expect Murray to have a tough fight, but in my opinion the world number 1 will set the big points. Whenever Djokovic falters, he comes back all the stronger.
My tip: Djokovic wins outright!
