ATP Finals 2022: Novak Djokovic vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals as Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on Novak Djokovic in the Group Stage on Monday, November 14th, 2022.

It is a Paris Masters rematch as Stefanos Tsitsipas looks to upstage five-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Novak Djokovic. Will the Greek register his first win over the Serbian star in over three years?

Stefanos Tsitsipas has won a Tour-leading 60 matches this year. But he’s also had his fair share of close defeats this season, majorly in finals. While it would easy for him to contemplate those losses, he has done magnificently to quash them aside and focus at his next match and tournament. More often, Tsitsipaswould bounce back and return to winning ways. But he faces a tough hurdle against five-time champion Novak Djokovic who inflicted a chastening loss on him in Paris just a week ago.

After a chaotic first half of the season, it would have taken a brave heart to bet in Novak Djokovic’s favor to qualify for Turin. But time and again, Djokovic proves he is at his best when his back is against the wall. And remarkably, Wimbledon’s decision not to award ranking points meant that the Serb had very slim hopes of making it to the Nitto ATP Finals. Djokovic, however, embarked on winning spree in the second half of the campaign, bagging titles in Tel Aviv and Astana, and finishing runner-up at the Paris Masters. Those points were sufficient to ensure his ranking stayed inside the top 20. And the ATP rulebook awards an automatic entry into the season-ending finale for a Grand Slam winner provided he finishes the season ranked between 8th and 20th in the Race.

Novak Djokovic leads Stefanos Tsitsipas 9-2 in their head-to-head. Djokovic won a classic in the Paris Masters semifinal, denying Tsitsipas his first win in the series in three years. Tsitsipas lacked the mental composure at key moments in that match, as was the case at the French Open last year when he blew a two-sets-to-love lead. The pattern of play of attacking the Tsitsipas backhand will generate an error too many. And if Djokovic employs that tactic over the course of longer rallies, he should come out on top. Tsitsipas will once again need to serve lights out and expect a drop in form by his opponent. But Djokovic should be untroubled and unruffled after his week-long rest.