Botic van de Zandschulp vs Novak Djokovic Preview & Prediction | 2026 Australian Open | Third Round

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Botic van de Zandschulp faces Novak Djokovic at the 2026 Australian Open.

Start date/time:

Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia

Surface: Outdoor hard

How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN

How to watch online: UK – discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & Tennis Channel

Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Botic van de Zandschulp vs Novak Djokovic ticket information

Botic van de Zandschulp vs Novak Djokovic prediction

Novak Djokovic continues his bid to go all the way at the 2026 Australian Open and clinch a stand-alone 25th singles major in the sport against Botic van de Zandschulp.

The veteran Serb has been in fabulous form early in the draw and followed up a straight-sets win over Pedro Martinez with an equally impressive 6-3 6-2 6-2 triumph over Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli.

His next opponent, van de Zandschulp, is no stranger to producing an upset and is level at 1-1 with Nole in the head-to-head, winning their most recent encounter at Indian Wells last year.

The Dutchman was very sharp in his 7-6 6-2 6-3 win over Juncheng Shang, but it is also worth nothing that 'Grand Slam Djokovic' is a whole different beast to the one who is more selective about the rest of the Tour’s tournaments now he is in the twilight of his glittering career.

There will be no shock here for the fourth seed with the best and most realistic hope for Botic being that he manages to put one exceptional set together. 

The world number 75 is capable of that, but with Djokovic well aware of the need to keep his exertions and court time to a minimum with potential encounters with the top two ahead, it’s more likely the 10-time champion in Melbourne will remain flawless at this juncture.

Botic van de Zandschulp vs Novak Djokovic tip: Novak Djokovic to win 3-0