2021 Nitto ATP Finals – Group Stage – Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev on and what time does it start? Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev will take place on Wednesday 17th November, 2021 – not before 13:00 (UK)
Where is Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev taking place? Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev will take place at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy
What surface is Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev being played on? Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev will take place on an indoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev
What channel is Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev on? Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev will be televised on the Amazon Prime Video app on smart TVs
Where can I stream Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev? Amazon Prime subscribers can stream Novak Djokovic vs Andrey Rublev live via their platform. Subscribers of Tennis TV can also stream the match live
THE LOWDOWN
World number one struggled through a tough first set tiebreak with Casper Ruud on Monday but ultimately got the better of the young debutant in straight sets. The 34-year-old has broken a myriad of records this season but is aiming to draw level on a record amount of ATP Finals titles with Roger Federer here if he wins a sixth this Sunday. Djokovic is riding a six-match winning streak through from the Paris Masters victory last week, where he became the standalone record-holder for Masters titles with 37. He is also the current holder of three Grand Slams from the Australian Open, Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.
World number five Andrey Rublev really got a monkey off his back late on Monday in Turin with a vastly impressive straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 24-year-old has been well below par for a few months now since losing in the Cincinnati Open final to Alexander Zverev but he made the most of a distracted opponent to bring their head-to-head record into line at 4-4. 2020’s most in-form player started strongly this season by winning the ATP Cup with Russia, reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and winning the Rotterdam Open but it remains to be seen if he can do better than his 1-2 record at last season’s ATP Finals.
THE PREDICTION
We have been waiting for a first meeting between Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev for some time on tour and with Rublev taking one of the best victories of his entire season last time out we could be in for a thriller. The fast court is favouring the hard-courters over the clay-courters and that can be seen in Casper Ruud and Tsitsipas’ defeats in straight sets to two players more than comfortable returning with a little extra. Neither Djokovic or Rublev are the biggest servers on tour but the winner will be the more consistent in that area, with a couple of long rallies likely here. In a first meeting with Djokovic there is always scope for an early set before the Serb works you out and comes back to win. Taking that as a one-off punt here could be valuable indeed but otherwise Djokovic to win outright is the most reasonable outcome.
