The 2021 Open Occitanie champion, David Goffin (BEL) is all set to start his campaign in this tournament against America’s Aleksandar Kovacevic. Goffin didn’t have a great start to his 2025 season! He made early exits from all the tournaments he played in Australia recently. So, perhaps it’s time for this former world number 7 to bring back his A-game on a familiar surface. Can he beat this 26-year-old American in this epic battle? 

David Goffin vs Aleksandar Kovacevic: Preview

Last year, David Goffin won the Challenger Ilkley, GB. After that, he even reached the SF of the Challenger Cary, US, and the Winston-Salem Open. Goffin had even reached the QF of the Shanghai Masters but over there he was defeated by Taylor Fritz in two sets. Even at the Swiss Indoors, he failed to make full use of his chances in his QF run. David Goffin will be entering this tournament in Montpellier following his 1-6,2-6,6(7)-7 defeat at the hands of France’s Benjamin Bonzi in the first round of the 2025 AO. Now it’ll be interesting to see if this 34-year-old Belgian overcomes this disappointment with a winning start in Montpellier or not.

Aleksandar Kovacevic made his AO debut in the 2024 season and guess what? He had even clinched his first major win at that event. After that, we saw this youngster making two QF runs at the Los Cabos Open and the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. Aleksandar Kovacevic had a great start to his 2025 season, he recently won the Challenger Oeiras II, PT. Even in this tournament, Kovacevic has already clinched two victories in his previous two matches at the qualifiers. In the last match, he outclassed Spain’s Pablo Carreño Busta by 6-3,7-6(4). What will be the scoreline in his next match?

Goffin vs Kovacevic: Head-to-Head

David Goffin has faced Aleksandar Kovacevic only once in his career. At the moment, La Goff has a 1-0 edge over Kova in their Head-to-Head record. Who will have the last laugh in their second meeting?

• 2022 Phoenix R32: Goffin 1-6,6-3,6-3.

Prediction: Kovacevic to win in three sets

Although David Goffin has a superior record in this tournament and has vast experience on the Tour in comparison to Aleksandar Kovacevic, still we’re keeping the American ahead in this contest. Reason? Well, Kovacevic has been in red-hot form in the 2025 season and we’ve already seen a glimpse of it in his first two matches in this season. It won’t be easy to beat this former Top 10 player on this surface, but Kovacevic will be entering this contest with much more confidence than David Goffin. So, Kova is the favorite in this match!

David Goffin is yet to win a match in the 2025 season! How was his record in the 2024 season, though? Well, Goffin (56) had a win-loss record of 17-17 in the previous season, whereas, Aleksandar Kovacevic (102) had a win-loss record of 10-22 in the 2024 season. However, Kovacevic is the more in-shape player at the moment and we could see him throwing up a sturdy challenge towards the former champion in this match.

Aleksandar Kovacevic’s playing style revolves around his powerful serve and forehand, complemented by his aggressive baseline play. Talking about his serves, do you know Kovacevic hit 328 aces last season and committed just 114 double faults? Even in this tournament, he has already fired 20 aces in his two matches! Apart from his serves, Aleksandar Kovacevic has also demonstrated good movement and point construction, making him a real threat to more experienced opponents (like Goffin?). Well, Kovacevic’s power could also trouble the Belgian, if David Goffin struggles with his serve.

However, Kovacevic’s primary concerns are his lack of consistency and limited experience at the ATP Tour, especially when playing against someone with Goffin’s tactical experience. So, it’s going to be a battle of experience versus form! Talking about David Goffin’s playing style, the Belgian’s strengths lie in his excellent movement, tactical intelligence, and incredible ability to extend rallies to wear down opponents. However, his lack of powerful serve can make him a bit vulnerable against aggressive players who can dominate points right from the start of the match.

These indoor hard courts suit both of these players, to Goffin to succeed in this match, he needs to extend the rallies and make full use of his tactical brilliance against someone like Aleksandar Kovacevic. The American needs to watch out for Goffin’s two-handed backhand shot! Are these weapons enough, to beat an in-form player like Kovacevic at the moment? Well, looks a bit unlikely at the moment!