Dubai Championships: Djokovic vs Medvedev Tennis Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2023 Dubai Championships as Novak Djokovic takes on Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal on Friday, March 3, 2023.

Five-time champion Novak Djokovic puts his 15-match undefeated streak on the line when he faces his biggest challenger Daniil Medvedev in a blockbuster semifinal match at the Dubai Championships. Who will prevail?

Novak Djokovic won his 15th match in a row in 2023, beating Poland’s finest in Hubert Hurkacz 6-3 7-5 to reach another semifinal at the Dubai Championships. Hurkacz threw everything at Djokovic including the kitchen sink, but his inability to manufacture a single break point proved telling. Djokovic converted two of his eight break points to defeat Hurkacz for the fifth time in the series and set up a mouthwatering semifinal match against Daniil Medvedev.

Daniil Medvedev, meanwhile, maintained his excellent run of form, after defeating Croatia’s Borna Coric 6-3 6-2 in the last of the four quarterfinal matches at the 2023 Dubai Championships. Medvedev went on a tear after going 0-2 down in the second set, reeling off six straight games, and finished the match by winning a jaw-dropping 21 consecutive points.

Novak Djokovic leads Daniil Medvedev 9-4 in their head-to-head. Their two meetings last season were fiercely contested although Medvedev retired in Astana at one set apiece. At the start of January, Djokovic served notice of his intention to win the Australian Open by beating the Russian in straight sets at the Adelaide International. While Medvedev’s run has been so refreshing since February, Djokovic should still have the upper hand. The Serbian star knows all too well he won’t play in North America next month and will be acutely aware of the massive opportunity to bag another title this weekend. Expect these two to engage in cat-and-mouse rallies, with Djokovic’s flawless technique coming out on top.