Novak Djokovic vs Alejandro Tabilo

Sunday, May 12, 2024

Novak Djokovic 1000 / Alejandro Tabilo +779 Click Here for the Latest Odds

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Top seed Novak Djokovic will face big-serving Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the 2024 Italian Open in Rome. The match is scheduled for Sunday, May 12, 2024. Here's our Novak Djokovic vs Alejandro Tabilo prediction.

Novak Djokovic vs Alejandro Tabilo Preview

Novak Djokovic overcame a slow start to beat Corentin Moutet in his first match in almost a month. The Serb, who last featured on the ATP Tour in Monte Carlo, withdrew from the Madrid Open and intended to play in Rome before Roland Garros. Djokovic was certainly at his very best in outclassing the wily French lefty Moutet, winning 6-3, 6-1. Djokovic won over twice the number of return points in the match (33 to 14) and broke his opponent three times. A freak accident happened after the match in which the World No. 1 was hit on the head with a metallic bottle, but thankfully, he did not sustain any serious injury.

Alejandro Tabilo, meanwhile, is having a great season by his standards, and it only keeps getting better. The Chilean lefty picked up a maiden main draw win on debut at the Italian Open, beating Yannick Hanfmann in straight sets. It's now eight wins in his last 11 matches across all competitions, a run that includes a Challenger title success at the Aix-en-Provence just before he came to Rome. Can Tabilo keep up this hot run of results by taking down the top seed?

Novak Djokovic vs Alejandro Tabilo Head-To-Head

• Djokovic and Tabilo have not crossed paths on the ATP Tour before.

• Djokovic is ranked No. 1, while Tabilo sits at No. 32 (his career high).

• Djokovic is 4-1 on clay in 2024, while Tabilo is an impressive 12-6 on the dirt this season.

Novak Djokovic vs Alejandro Tabilo Prediction

Djokovic will play on Sunday after overcoming a scary accident while signing autographs on Friday night. A bottle slipped from a fan's backpack and struck him on the head. However, he was tended to by the medical personnel and was back in practice less than 24 hours later. This will be a great test for him, as he is taking on another lefty who has had a more successful season than Moutet. Tabilo has been steadily improving and is almost certain to be seeded at Roland Garros. But this is where I expect his five-match win streak to come to an end.