Paris Masters 2022: Novak Djokovic vs. Lorenzo Musetti Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Paris Masters as Novak Djokovic takes on Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinal on Friday, November 4th, 2022.

The irrepressible Novak Djokovic is odds-on favorite to win the Paris Masters for the umpteenth time. But Lorenzo Musetti’sswashbuckling style and recent form makes him a formidable challenger for the 21-time Major winner. Who will prevail in this quarterfinal clash?

Novak Djokovic winning matches under the roof is akin to knife slicing through butter right now. The Serbian star made it 11 wins on the trot by beating Karen Khachanov, and remarkably has not lost a set in that span. Djokovic was wary of the threat possessed by the Russian power hitter, who stunned him at the 2018 Paris Masters final. But history would not repeat itself here, as Djokovic wrestled control of the match right from the getgo. Djokovic, as he put it in the post-match interview, served better and stepped up even more in the second set as momentum shifted to his side. Khachanov simply had no answer.

Lorenzo Musetti, for his part, improved to 9-5 on indoor hard-courts with a rousing win over Casper Ruud. Musetti, whose previous appearance at the Paris Masters ended with a second-round defeat last year, produced one of his most consistent performances to thwart the US Open finalist. It was the first top-5 win of his career and one that should give him bags of confidence ahead of his quarterfinal meeting against Novak Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic leads Lorenzo Musetti 2-0 in their head-to-head. Their first match was at the 2021 French Open where Djokovic came back from a two-sets-to-love down to win in five (albeit via retirement). While their second meeting in Dubai was routinely won by Djokovic this season. Musetti has got the variety and court craft to make life a little complicated for his opponent. But with the way Djokovic is serving and hitting the ball crisply and precisely, it is hard to imagine any other outcome here.