Novak Djokovic’s second outing at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals will be a testing encounter as he faces Alexander Zverev. Both players were rock solid in their straight sets wins over Marin Cilic and John Isner respectively.
How frustrating must it have been for John Isner to hit serves at more than 140mph, kick serves, and still have the opponent return the ball so deep almost every time. Sometimes it feels like hitting on a wall. That is how good Djokovic has been and is right now. His defensive skills are top notch, and his ability to turn defense into attack in a point is astounding. Given his record at O2, I will be very surprised if he does not go on to win the tournament with the way he is playing.
While we know just how hot Djokovic is right now he can still be beaten. Sometimes it takes a lapse of concentration, complacency or just a bad day overall to lose a match as evident in his loss to Karen Khachanov in Bercy. Alexander Zverev is among the young players with the most potential, and it is no surprise he is getting ever closer to the big three in the rankings.
However, he tends to be so inconsistent at times and could lose to anybody. He lets his frustration get the better of him from umpire rulings, unforced errors, and things like that, but he demonstrated his powers of recovery by extending his winning record over Marin Cilic in his opening match. His last meeting with Djokovic, though, will be one he wants to forget. The World No.1 dropped just three games in his rout over Zverev during their last outing in Shanghai.
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Prediction: According to the ATP’s website, Djokovic is going to be the first player in history of ATP rankings to be ranked outside the top 20 and finish the same season as No.1. It is hard to go against Djokovic right now. The Serb is once again at the peak of his powers. Zverev may feel he will lose this match even before taking to court, but he has the game to trouble Djokovic. The German will need to serve at a consistently high level and hit an incredible high number of winners to stand a chance.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
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