The Tokyo 1970 group will start their campaigns on day two at the ATP Finals, with two intriguing matches on the slate, including a rematch of the recent Paris Masters final. But who will start the round robin with a valuable win and who will find themselves under pressure heading into the second round of matches on Wednesday?
ATP Finals Day Two Predictions
Novak Djokovic vs Diego Schwartzman
Head-to-head: Djokovic 5-0 Schwartzman
There are some doubts surrounding world #1 Novak Djokovic’s form and mentality coming into his first match at the ATP Finals. His loss to Lorenzo Sonego in the quarterfinals in Vienna was bizarre and his explanation after the match that he was satisfied with his efforts in securing the world #1 ranking saw him come in for heavy criticism from some quarters. But Djokovic typically finds a way to find his best tennis at the biggest events.
And he certainly appears to consider the ATP Finals a big tournament, having five times won the title at this event. Diego Schwartzman, meanwhile, will be making his debut at season-ending championships. The Argentine has given Djokovic trouble in the past on the clay, but he has never beaten the Serbian and may prove to be less of a threat on the fast indoor hard courts at the O2 Arena. In truth, this looks like a relatively straightforward opener for the Serb, which may give him time to play himself into form before facing tougher opponents.
Prediction: Djokovic in 2
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Daniil Medvedev vs Alexander Zverev
Head-to-head: Zverev 5-2 Medvedev
The commanding head-to-head lead that Alexander Zverev owns over Daniil Medvedev is perhaps slightly misleading. The pair met regularly before the Russian established himself as an elite player, a rise that effectively began with his run to three finals in a row in Montreal, Cincinnati and at the US Open in 2019. Since then, Medvedev has had the better of their rivalry, winning two of their three matches including in the final at the Paris Masters, where he won 5-7 6-4 6-1.
However, they also faced off in the round-robin stage at this event last year, when Zverev defeated Medvedev 6-4 7-6. In fact, this matchup is relatively well-balanced and the match could be decided by who is in the better form on the day. In Paris, Zverev had looked to be the better player, but leading 7-5 4-4 the quality of his serving dropped and Medvedev took advantage. A similar pattern could well emerge at the ATP Finals. The accusations of domestic abuse surrounding Zverev may also affect the German. In Paris, he looked focused, but the media interest in this story is unlikely to dissipate soon.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
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