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Davis Cup: The Finnish Fairytale is over

by TN November 25, 2023

written by TN

The Finnish fairytale is over at the Davis Cup 2023. As predicted, Australia were a little too tough of a team.

Davis Cup 2023: The Finnish Fairytale is over

But the Finns can take great pride in their performance. I don’t think anyone expected them to reach the semi-finals and they had to win their quarter without their best player Ruusuvuori.

Yesterday, Ruusuvuori played, but he wasn’t a hundred percent healthy and it simply wasn’t enough against De Minaur in the second match of the day.

The first match was between Finnish Fairytale hero, Otto Virtanen, and Alexei Popyrin. Popyrin started nervously and in the first set, despite winning it in the end, he did not look like the better player.

“To win a match that means so much for us is an honour and something I’ll never forget. I thought I was ready, but when I heard the Finnish fans and the Australian chanting so hard, it was nerves I’ve never experienced before.”

“It’s everybody’s dream to play for their country. I was born there, I was raised there. All my first coaches were Australian. I looked up to Lleyton, looked up to all the older Aussie legends. To be able to put on the green and gold, to be able to go out there and play for your country, no matter the format, if it’s this Davis Cup or the old Davis Cup, you give your all. It’s nerves, it’s pressure, you’re playing for everybody back home.”

“It’s something that nothing will ever compare to. So for me it really was the biggest moment of my career to get the first live rubber win, to get one foot into the final. It was something that I’ll never forget.”
Alexei Popyrin

The first set tie-break effectively decided the match as Virtanen did not take all the chances he was given and Popyrin managed to control his nerves towards the end. After that, the Aussie showed that he is the stronger player and finished the match 7-6 (5) 6-2.

You can trust De Minaur

Despite Ruusuvuori throwing everything he had at De Minaur in the second match, De Minaur showed his mental strength. He did not show nerves and just played a very solid match against the top Finn.

In the end, the scores made it look easier than it was, but you never felt like Australia’s match victory was in question. 6-6-4 6-3 was the score in De Minaur’s favor.

This sends Australia into a second consecutive Davis Cup final. Can they win it this time?

I think so. They have the most complete team if you look at the doubles and I think the best chance of either Serbia or Italy is to get it done in the singles and that is a huge pressure to have.

“I’m very happy to be in another final”, said De Minaur ahead of Sunday’s clash with either Serbia or Italy. “No team really wants to play us. We’re a very solid squad, we’ve got a lot of depth in every position. If we can get ourselves to the doubles we’ve got an unbelievable pairing.”
Alex De Minaur

Who do you think takes home the trophy on Sunday? Check out our Davis Cup page for our predictions and more.

November 25, 2023 0 comment

News Tennis Racquets

Racquet Releases in 2024

by TN November 24, 2023

written by TN

Let’s speculate about some exciting racquets releases in 2024. I am keen to hear what you look forward to the most.

Racquet releases in 2024

I don’t have the full calendar of racquet releases in 2024, but based on the tempo of racquets released yearly, we can make some strong predictions.

Most racquet brands have 2-3 years in between each silo/model update. Smaller brands might not be able to keep up the pace in the same way, but this is generally the rhythm to expect.

You can check out these racquet brands and releases from our friends at Tennis Warehouse, Tennis Warehouse Europe and Tennis Only. Any purchase sends a small commission our way. Thanks.

HEAD

From HEAD, we are due a new Speed, as detailed in my conversation with Chris Edwards on the podcast. The Speed 2022, which included Auxetic for the first time, was a solid update, and I especially enjoyed the HEAD Speed Pro. Let’s see how they can move things in the right direction. HEAD usually makes more minor, incremental updates to their successful racquet lines, and the Speed, much thanks to Djokovic and perhaps Sinner, is their bestselling line.

We can expect the new HEAD Speed 2024 sometime early in January. Tennisnerd members get first impressions.

Besides the Speed, we can also expect a Boom update. The HEAD Boom was released in 2022 and was a completely new line from HEAD with the morph beam, which is supposed to offer larger sweet spot. We did enjoy the Boom Pro a lot but the MP also offered excellent playability.

What else from HEAD? Gravity, Prestige and Radical were all recently updated. A new Extreme after summer perhaps, but not sure what is going on with the Instinct these days.

Wilson

We have already seen pictures floating around about the Blade V9. The Blade V8 is everywhere. It is definitely a top racquet line in terms of popularity among club players worldwide.

The Shift was recently released and the Pro Staff V14 came out in 2023. As did the Ultra. That leaves the Clash. Will we see a Clash V3 towards the second half of the year? It seems probable.

But Wilson are quite good at coming up with new ideas from their Pro Labs, so we might see something new.

Babolat

The Pure Aero was updated last year, so we most likely have two lines to look forward to in 2024. The Pure Strike is WELL overdue an update. It’s been four years since the previous edition.

What about the Babolat Pure Drive? It was updated in 2021, so it’s time according to the 3-4 year arch of Babolat products. I must say that I think fewer updates is refreshing in a time where it’s all about pumping out as many racquets as possible.

Pure Strike early 2024 and Pure Drive towards the end of Summer? I feel like the scheduling for Babolat releases is a bit off since the pandemic, so we will see.

Yonex

The new VCORE and Percept racquets were released in 2023. This leaves the new Ezone for early 2024. As you might know, I was a big fan of the Ezone released in 2022, so there are high hopes for the Ezone V8. Yonex usually make quite big changes to their racquets, but since the Ezone 2022 was so good, I hope they don’t too much to it. Although, I do applaud the effort.

Dunlop

Dunlop updated their FX line (power) in 2023 and their SX line (spin) in 2022. However, the CX (control) line is due in 2024. The 2021 CX racquets were excellent, so this is an exciting release for fans of control racquets.

Tecnifibre

We recently saw an update to the Tfight line and the TF40 and with the signing of Corentin Moutet to the TF-X1, which is their power and spin racquet, I am expecting an update, perhaps with some new models added.

The first generation of TF-X1 was good, but I think there is potential to make it even better as it had a little much of everything. I’m curious to see where this goes.

Summary

Those are some racquet releases to expect for 2024. There are other brands to consider, such as Volkl, Solinco and ProKennex. But I am not as familiar with what to expect from them. If you have any insight, let me know in the comments.

Which racquet update are you the most excited about?

November 24, 2023 3 comments

Davis Cup News

Australia Fights to Win at the Davis Cup Finals

by TN November 23, 2023

written by TN

At 1-0 in matches and 6-4 5-3 to Lehecka in the second rubber for Czechia. You did not think you would write Australia Fights to Win at the Davis Cup Finals.

Australia Fights to Win at the Davis Cup Finals

It looked pretty grim for Australia for a long time. Tomas Machac started proceedings in brilliant style, playing great tennis to defeat Jordan Thompson 6-4 7-5.

And Jiri Lehecka can play some fantastic tennis, we know that. And he did for most of his match against Alex De Minaur. But at 6-4 5-4, when serving for the match, Lehecka, understandably, got a bit tight. If you are a tennis player you know how it feels when the breathing is forced and your arm is heavy. Nerves are overrunning your whole body. And that seems to be what happened.

We also know that De Minaur is a world-class fighter. And with the passionate Lleyton Hewitt in his box, he would give it everything he had.

He managed to take the second set in a tie-break (7-2), and the third set was a real battle. But it’s not easy to shake off such a missed opportunity and in the end De Minaur was the stronger player. 4-6 7-6 7-5 was the final score in the Aussies favor and meant doubles would decide.

“The only time I felt a little bit of an opportunity, when he lowered the level a bit, was the first point serving for it. I got a little sniff. I was able to play a solid game there, and after that, I felt like the whole momentum kind of changed.”

“I think my reputation is quite strong when it comes to these types of situations. It kind of precedes me. Maybe I won because of that today.”

“I think it would have been quite easy for me to roll over under the circumstances, but that’s just not the type of player I am. I have had plenty of these types of matches in my career. It’s part of my identity. I’m not going to give up. I’m going to fight until the end.”
Alex De Minaur

The Doubles Decider

I don’t know if they talked about this before the match, but Australia is so much stronger as a doubles team, that Czechia needed to win this one in the singles.

Matthew Edben and Max Purcell are a world-class team, while the same cannot really be said for Adam Pavlasek and Jiri Lehecka (who must have been so tired emotionally and physically after his first match). That Australia got this one 6-4 7-5 cannot be a surprise to anyone.

It was a great effort by the doubles team, but De Minaur saved the match for Australia.

“I prided myself on a never-say-die attitude and he’s certainly in the same category”, said an exhausted but proud captain Lleyton Hewitt afterwards. “For him to go out there and put the boys on his back again, we’re so proud of him. He had to dig really deep and yet again he saved us.”
Lleyton Hewitt

Another exciting quarter-final match at the Davis Cup Finals showed that this format might actually work in the long run, although it doesn’t seem popular among players and pundits.

Although we completely flubbed the first prediction between Finland and Canada, we got his one right (check out our other predictions as well), with 2-1 to Australia.

Today is a two-match day: Netherlands vs Italy and Great Britain vs Serbia. What are your predictions?

November 23, 2023 0 comment

Davis Cup News

Finland in the Davis Cup Semi-Finals

by TN November 22, 2023

written by TN

Many tennis fans are surprised to see Finland in the Davis Cup Semi-Finals, but they brought the crowd and the belief and beat Canada.

Finland in the Davis Cup Semi-Finals

Yeah, we did not foresee this in our Davis Cup Finals Predictions. We knew Finland would be dangerous, but without Ruusuvuori, it seemed like a tall task to beat Canada, even without Shapovalov.

Canada did not play Auger-Aliassime, but put in Milos Raonic instead. Raonic did his job against #715-ranked Kaukovalta and won 6-3 7-5 (still a good match from the Fin!).

For the second rubber, Finland had 22-year-old Otto Virtanen against Canada’s Gabriel Diallo. Diallo turned pro this year, is over 2 meters tall, and is also 22 years old. On an indoors court, the ace count should be high!

But Virtanen managed to break twice in the match and that was enough. 6-4 7-5 and the match would be settled in a doubles match.

For doubles, Virtanen teamed up with strong doubles player, Harry Heliovaara and they quickly took the initiative against Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil. Backed by something similar to a home crowd (the largest Finnish population outside Finland and Sweden live in Fuengirola in the Malaga region), the Finns got it done 7-5 6-3 and continue their epic run in the Davis Cup.

It suits the format of the Davis Cup to have some surprising results. It shows that the spirit still lives in the competition and Finland showed that audience support is crucial.

If you want to know more about the Davis Cup, check out our Davis Cup page.

Playing at home away from home

Let’s put some Finnish quotes from the official Davis Cup site to describe the atmosphere in Malaga.

“This is why we play tennis”, an emotional Heliovaara declared afterwards. “Today was definitely one of the highest days of my career in terms of emotions. We knew beforehand there was going to be a big Finnish supporter group, but you never know how good it’s going to feel until you actually experience that on court. The emotions are something that I can cherish for the rest of my life.”
Harry Heliovaara

“We are not in Finland but we feel like we are in Finland”, added Virtanen. “I love the pressure of playing in front of these fans, it just makes me play better every time, all the support I get. It means everything to play for my country. Today was amazing.”
Otto Virtanen

Can Finland win the Davis Cup? Yes, this shows that anything is possible, even without their top player. However, it will be tougher against Australia or Czechia.

November 22, 2023 0 comment

News This Week in Tennis

Novak wins 7th ATP Finals title

by Alex Mann November 21, 2023

written by Alex Mann

On Sunday, Novak Djokovic capped off his incredible year by lifting his 7th ATP Finals title, cementing as the most successful player ever.

Novak wins 7th ATP Finals title

After a slow start to the final tournament of the year, the Serb saved his best tennis for his last match of the year, defeating Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3 to deny the Italian a home-crowd victory.

Sinner had already beaten Djokovic in group-stages, and was looking for his second win over the world number 1 in the space of five days.

In the final, Djokovic put a stop to any suggestion of that almost immediately, serving to perfection and keeping the pressure on the young Italian.

Unlike in their group-stage match, Sinner couldn’t get a foothold in the final. I think it was partly down to nerves but also the brilliance of Djokovic.

The Serb upped the ante on the speed of his forehand, cracking a string of returns and winners straight past Sinner.

The Italian could only stop and stare in amazement at the sheer brilliance of Djokovic’s ball-striking.

Ps. You can get ATP Player-endorsed apparel, shoes, and gear here, Ds.

What could Sinner have done differently?

What could have Sinner done differently to win this match? Well firstly, he needed to play his best tennis to stand any chance in this match.

In his group-stage battle against Djokovic, Sinner was able to maintain his peak level throughout the match, and only just squeezed past the Serb in three extremely tight sets.

The major difference between this match and the final was that the Italian’s level of tennis was slightly under par. Unfortunately for Sinner, this is just not good enough against someone who gives you virtually no room for errors.

Sinner isn’t the only culprit who’s fallen victim to Djokovic’s brilliance in the past few months.

Since Novak’s Wimbledon final loss to Alcaraz, the Serb has entered four events and won them all.

His final opponent in all those events, Alcaraz, Medvedev and Dimitrov faced the same fate Sinner did; being able to play their best tennis leading up to the final but unable to replicate it against Djokovic.

What can we take away from this? The obvious correlation is that Djokovic is still levels above the rest of the field.

Djokovic is still ahead

Players like Medvedev and Alcaraz can match him physically and mentally for periods of time, but it’s Djokovic’s ability to repeat this consistently throughout matches which sets him apart.

Even at 36, Djokovic doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Now with 400 weeks at number 1 under his belt, the Serb turns his attention to 2024.

He’ll certainly be eyeing up the Olympic Gold medal in Paris, something which he surprisingly has yet won, and maybe another shot at the Grand Slam?

As for Sinner, outside of the majors, he’s had his best year yet. The Italian has won four titles, reached seven finals, racked up twelve top 10 wins and reached a career high of number 4 in the ATP rankings.

If Sinner can continue to this form heading into next year, he will certainly be a threat at all the major events.

November 21, 2023 0 comment

News Players

What is Royaltiz?

by TN November 20, 2023

written by TN

One way for players to raise money is to allow fans to invest in their careers through Royaltiz. But what is Royaltiz?

What is Royaltiz?

There are a few platforms that allow tennis fans to invest in tennis players. You might have heard about Fantium or Scope Sports, but the most prominent one that has the most players to invest in is Royaltiz.

On the Royaltiz platform you can earn money based on the athlete’s income, social media engagement and overall career trajectory. Royaltiz do not only offer tennis, but also other sports like football, rugby, esports, MMA and more. The platform has over 200 talents and 150 000 users on the platform.

It seems like a fun platform, but like with everything else, we only advise you to invest your money if you want and can afford to.

You can check out Royaltiz here. We also have a Royaltiz review here.

The tennis players on Royaltiz

The platform is easy to use and there are quite a few players already on it. They sign long-term contracts (ten years) and you will be able to do both short term and long term investments in their careers. When new players are added to the platform you can use the digital currency (not a cryptocurrency) called ROYs to invest in them. On the release day of a new player, the ROY is set at 2 euro ROY. Then the price will go up or down based on the player’s performance, kind of like the stock market.

If we take Nick Kyrgios as an example.

Nick is an exciting player with a large social media following. Last year he had his best season ever, but this year (2023) he was injured. That is why his ROY price has plummeted.

The next player to look at is another hothead, Corentin Moutet. He had a great run last last year which is reflected in his price movements.

His max price was nearly 40 euro per ROY in October last year. With an introduction price of 2 euro, let’s say you buy 5 ROY in Moutet for 10 euro total at the release in May 2022. These are then worth 200 euro in total in October 2022. Then you can, of course, put them up for sale and make a good profit.

At the same time, if you bought Moutet ROY at 30 euros each and they are now worth 8.13 euros each, it was less than ideal. This is, of course, the gambling part of investing, whether you do it in stocks, NFTs or in tennis players on a platform like Royaltiz, Fantium or Score Sports.

The list of tennis players on Royaltiz are:

Casper Ruud
Olga Danilovic
Linda Noskova
Miomir Kecmanovic
Jaume Munar
Nick Kyrgios
Francisco Cerundolo
Constant Lestienne
Benoit Paire
Jiri Lehecka
Francesco Passaro
Michael Mmoh
Daniil Medvedev
Zizou Bergs
Giulio Zeppieri
Jenson Brooksby
Veronika Kudermetova
Reilly Opelka
Jeffrey John Wolf
Enzo Couacaud
Alexandre Muller
Karen Khachanov
Borna Coric
Lorenzo Musetti
Hugo Gaston
Corentin Moutet

Which players would you invest in for 2024?

Is Royaltiz a scam?

No, Royaltiz is not a scam. The company has been around since 2021 and have raised 8.5 million euro in capital. They have published the Royaltiz Team here as well as the investors. The investors include Jacquez Richier from Allianz Group, Stephan Catoire, the founder of Equitis, Thilo Kehrer, a professional footballer from PSG, Olivier Lebel, a former Head of Doctors of the World and the French Red Cross, as well as tennis player Karen Khachanov, to name a few.

Some significant partners are Mangopay, Bpifrance, Publicis and Sporteo.

You can read more about Royaltiz, their mission, plans for the future and how it works on the Royaltiz site.

November 20, 2023 0 comment

News Players

Will Djokovic win everything in 2024?

by TN November 20, 2023

written by TN

It sounds like a silly question. Will Djokovic win everything in 2024? After the ATP Finals in 2023, you have to ask it, though.

Despite struggling on and off in the group stage, he won two relatively routine wins in the semi-finals against Alcaraz 6-3 6-2 and in the finals against Sinner 6-3 6-3 (we got our prediction right), cementing him even further as the strongest player in the world by some margin.

Djokovic won seven titles in 2023. With three Grand Slams, he has spent 400 weeks as world number one, finished year-end number one for a record eighth time, and only lost two matches since May. How can he improve on that?

“Well, you can win four Slams and Olympic gold,” he said with a smile, alluding to the upcoming Paris Olympics. “Let’s see. I have always had the highest ambitions and goals. That’s not going to be different for the next year, that’s for sure. The drive that I have is still there. My body has been serving me well, listening to me well. I have a great team of people around me.

“Motivation, especially for the biggest tournaments in sport, is still present. It still inspires me to keep going. In the end of the day, people see you performing in the big tournaments, but they don’t see all the weeks and months of dedicated day-to-day, week-to-week work, trying to build your form so that you can peak where you want to peak. For me, obviously, those are the Grand Slams and the Finals, and next year, hopefully also the Olympic Games.

“The mindset is the same. I’ll keep going. I don’t know whether I’m going to have as good of a year next year, but I’m going to keep this freshness of mind and in a way motivation to do that.”
Novak Djokovic

What does it take to stop Djokovic?

Alcaraz famously did in the Wimbledon final, but otherwise, it has been close to impossible to defeat Djokovic in 2023. The recipe the Serb has for his success, just seems to be getting more and more powerful.

“When they play me, I want them to feel that it’s going to require the best tennis from them in order to win against me,” he said. “That’s what I want my opponents to feel, no doubt, because that helps mentally coming into the match.

“I think the more I win on the biggest stage, the more this kind of aura grows, and I’m glad for it, no doubt. Of course, that’s not going to win you the match, but it might give you the little percentage, the little edge.”
Novak Djokovic

Besides putting pressure on his opponents by taking the ball early and always hitting with brilliant depth, they are also intimated by his invincible aura. The opponent is already starting the match with some mental deficit in terms of believing they can win.

This will give him a powerful edge going into 2024. Will Novak Djokovic win everything in 2024? No, probably not, but it will require something extra special for players like Sinner, Alcaraz and Rune to stop him.

Check this article if you are interested in Novak Djokovic’s racquet specs.

November 20, 2023 0 comment

News Predictions

ATP Finals 2023 Djokovic vs Sinner Prediction

by TN November 19, 2023

written by TN

We have reached the ATP Finals 2023 last match, and it is a blockbuster. Here is my Djokovic vs Sinner prediction.

The Semi-Finals

Before our Djokovic vs Sinner prediction, let’s talk briefly about what happened in the semi-finals. As expected, Sinner vs Medvedev was pretty tense affair. Sinner started really well, but Medvedev fought hard to win the second set in a tie-break.

Then, something happened in the third set. Sinner suddenly started playing absolutely spectacular tennis. He hit winners left and right and it seemed impossible for him to miss a ball. It was amazing to watch and the home crowd went ballistic. There is strong belief around Jannik Sinner, that is for sure.

6-3, 6-7(4), 6-1 was the final score. Sinner needs to play like he did in the final set to beat Djokovic in the final. It has to be that good. The question is if he can do it.

A routine win?

I admit it. Djokovic fooled me again. He looked so-so in his previous matches, so I changed my prediction to Alcaraz winning in three sets. But when the world number one showed up to the court yesterday, there was nothing so-so about it. He played his A-game and made his 6-3 6-2 win look fairly routine.

There were obviously moments of great tennis and being a set and a break down, Alcaraz started really bringing his best tennis. But Djokovic matched it, held on and finished the match.

“I approached the match with the right attitude, the right mentality, and I knew from the very first point it was going to be greatly intense. He had break points right away, 15/40 in the first game. That’s Carlos. He always brings out his best in these kinds of matches and starts with a lot of high quality tennis and intensity. You’ve got to match that, try to weather the storm, and I did that.”
Novak Djokovic

Does this mean that Djokovic has figured Alcaraz out? Not quite, but I think Alcaraz needs to step up a little bit next year. The second half of this season has not seen the best of the young Spaniard, so he has some work to do in the off-season. I’m sure he will learn plenty from matches against the best player of all time and will sit down with coach Ferrero to see how he can defeat Novak next time.

Djokovic vs Sinner Prediction

Sinner has played the best tennis in the tournament. He has beaten Djokovic in their group-stage match. He has the crowd behind him. But is it enough?

Djokovic puts pressure on his opponents and shrinks the court. This makes them rush towards bad decisions. Sinner is on Alcaraz’s level of play, a little less flashy, but compensates with a cooler head. Yesterday I thought Sinner is destined for the title, but with the kind of performance Djokovic put in last night, I have to go back to my original prediction.

William Hill offers 2.50 on a Sinner win and 1.53 on Djokovic. There are other tennis betting sites here.

TN Prediction: Djokovic in two sets

“He’s been playing fantastic tennis, arguably the best tennis of his life,” said Djokovic of Sinner. “On this stage, against Top 10 players. We played, 7-6 in the third, a very close match the other night. The atmosphere was unbelievable, electric really. I don’t expect anything less than that, probably even louder than what we had in the group-stage matchup.

“It’s the final, I’ve been in this situation before many times. I’m really happy with the way I’m feeling, the way I’m playing, so hopefully I can deliver my A game tomorrow.”
Novak Djokovic

Who do you pick as the winner of the ATP Finals 2023?

November 19, 2023 0 comment

News Predictions

ATP Finals 2023 Djokovic vs Alcaraz Prediction

by TN November 18, 2023

written by TN

Today, we have two mouthwatering matches at the ATP Finals. Besides Medvedev vs Sinner, here is our Djokovic vs Alcaraz prediction.

But we before we get into our ATP Finals predictions, let’s quickly summarize what happened yesterday.

Alcaraz needed to beat Medvedev

He needed to beat Medvedev to qualify while Medvedev was already in the semi-finals. There was a little bit of a difference in motivation and it did show in the match. Alcaraz played well, but Medvedev did not quite have the strength or inspiration to fight hard enough to make it into a battle. Alcaraz got it done in 80 minutes, 6-4 6-4, which means he gets Djokovic in the semi-finals today.

“I think the most important thing that I did today was to stay strong mentally. There were a few games on my serve that I was struggling a bit. His return game is amazing and he puts so much pressure on your serve, so I think to stay calm and stay strong mentally in those moments was the key to give myself a chance to win this match.”
Carlos Alcaraz

There is not much to say about the result. Alcaraz is figuring this event out and is a clear threat to Djokovic, even if he looked a bit off in the first match.

Rublev’s three losses

Almost everyone seems to be a fan of Andrey Rublev, but he doesn’t seem to be a fan of himself, at least in this tournament. He had another troubled match where he couldn’t find his A-game in key moments. Zverev was playing well and is arguably more of a clutch player than Rublev, but it’s still sad to see the disappointment Rublev feels after coming up short on critical points.

The score was 6-4 6-4 to Zverev and Rublev has something to think about for 2024. He has the game to beat these guys, but in this tournament, it was clear he sometimes lacks the belief. If he can work on that for next year, we might see him push even further, but he does have some thinking and work to do.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Prediction

There are two great semi-finals today. The second one is between the world number one and the world number two.

Neither player has shown their best tennis yet, but they might bring it out of each other today.

You can read about the Djokovic vs Alcaraz rivalry on the ATP website. The score is 2-2, and the rivalry has pretty much just started.

It’s clear that Alcaraz looks up to Djokovic and tries to learn and adapt better every time he plays him. This feels like a 50-50 match, but Djokovic is the favorite (1.67) vs Alcaraz (2.20) in the tennis betting sites.

I picked Djokovic to win the ATP Finals and I should stand by this, but somehow it feels like Alcaraz has the better momentum going into the match. He has improved his play a lot from the first round, while Djokovic has played well, but not convincingly by his astronomical standards.

I am going to change my mind here.

TN Prediction: Alcaraz in three sets.

Medvedev vs Sinner Prediction

Sinner has been super-convincing and Medvedev has played well too, despite a lukewarm performance in the “pointless” match against Alcaraz. Medvedev leads the head-to-head 6-2, but the Sinner has won the last two matches, while Medvedev won the six first encounters. This means Sinner also has momentum in their rivalry.

Sinner is the favorite among the bookies like BetUS, but it is not by a large margin. But with the form he has displayed, I would not bet against him. I believe he will win today and in the final tomorrow.

TN Prediction: Sinner in three sets.

November 18, 2023 0 comment

News Predictions

ATP FINALS 2023, Alcaraz vs Medvedev Prediction

by TN November 17, 2023

written by TN

This is the last day of group-stage play at the ATP Finals 2023. Before we head into the Alcaraz vs Medvedev prediction, let’s look at yesterday.

Djokovic gets it done against Hurkacz

Novak Djokovic needed to win to have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals. Hubert Hurkacz, on the other hand, came in as an alternate after Tsitsipas pulled out and had nothing to play for. He still managed to steal a set from Djokovic in a 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-1 match in the favor of the world number one.

Hurkacz is one of those players that when he plays well dominates his opponent using his first serve. That is how he won the second set. But in the end, his forehand is a bit of a liability and if there is one thing Djokovic knows, it is how to take advantage of a weak point in his opponent’s game.

So Djokovic winning in three sets was a fairly logical result, but he still had to wait for the Rune vs Sinner match to see if he had qualified. A Rune win would mean that Rune and Sinner would go to the semis.

Sinner, the man to beat

Sinner was already qualified before the match, but if you win all your matches in the group stage, you get a significant financial bonus, so he definitely had something to play for.

Rune knew that a win would mean qualifying, so he was also motivated.

But Sinner rushed away with the first set, winning four straight games to start and the set 6-2.

The second set was a lot closer and Rune was more focused on the key points.

There was a similar story to the third set, but here Sinner played better at the key moments and finished the match: 6-2, 5-7, 6-4

This means Sinner is yet undefeated and will be the man to beat going into the semi-finals.

Alcaraz vs Medvedev Prediction

Medvedev has a similar situation to Sinner. He is already qualified but a financial bonus is always nice and it is important to keep up the confidence for the knockout matches.

Alcaraz has a similar situation to Rune, if he wins, he is qualified. His match against Rublev was a promising step in the right direction, but is it enough to beat an in-form Medvedev on indoor courts?

The best tennis betting sites put Alcaraz as the favorite by 1.67 vs 2.20 for Medvedev. They are 2-2 in head-to-head, with Medvedev winning their most recent encounter at the US Open. If you prefer US format for odds and bets, you can check out Bovada.

The TN Prediction is that Alcaraz wins in three sets. He is more motivated and is slowly picking up his game from his weak first match against Zverev.

One thing to watch for in the Alcaraz vs Medvedev match is Medvedev’s court positioning when returning. In New York, people speculated that standing far back won’t work against the “King of Drop Shots”, but Medvedev found a way.

“I don’t care if I return close to the baseline and I always get one or two points because of it, but then I miss the other three returns and he always wins the game at 40/30. I prefer to maybe lose three games at 40/0, where he’s going to do serve and volley or something. But then there is going to be this one game where he’s going to get a little tight, I’m going to get one or two returns, and I break.

“So it’s always this constant thinking, ‘How should I do it?’ Sometimes after the match, I can think, ‘I should have done it differently’, when I lose. You never know if it’s going to work, but I do change sometimes. Sometimes [my changes] are bigger, so maybe people can notice, sometimes not.”
Daniil Medvedev

Zverev vs Rublev Prediction

This match might be pointless for both players if Alcaraz defeats Medvedev in the day-session. Their head-to-head is 5-3 to Zverev, but Rublev has won their last three encounters. However, based on performance in this event, Zverev is the more in-form player.

Zverev’s performance will probably depend a bit on if he has a chance or not, but no matter what, he is the favorite to win the match. You get 1.67 times your money on a Zverev win and 2.20 on Rublev.

It looks unlikely that Rublev will reverse his lack of confidence for this match, but I think he can win his first set of the event.

TN Prediction: Zverev in three sets.

November 17, 2023 0 comment

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