Paris Olympics: Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Musetti; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

Is Novak Djokovic 100% fit? Well, this is the question that is currently going through the minds of all tennis fans. The 37-year-old tennis star struggled a bit with his knee during his clash against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in the QF. He moved gingerly and was seen in pain throughout the early stages of the second set. He was even forced to call the physio twice during the second set to check his right knee which he injured in June on the same court.

Despite struggling a bit with injury concerns, he managed to keep his record of not dropping a set intact! He’ll next face a familiar opponent, Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) in the SF. Musetti has been in the form of his life this season. Can he beat the Serb and cause a major upset in Paris?

Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Musetti: Preview

Djokovic is the first men’s tennis player to make it to the SF of Olympic events four times in his career. Can the ‘City of Lights’ show him the path to glory? Well, so far he has been in a demolishing mood. After securing two set victories in the first three rounds, he clinched a similar result in the QF as well. He beat Tsitsipas by 6-3, 7-6(3), hitting 6 aces and committing just 1 double fault. He won 65% of his first serve and 59% of his second serve but could only convert 3/6 of his breakpoints, while saving 4/6.

Even, Lorenzo Musetti hasn’t yet dropped a set at the Paris Olympics so far. He’ll enter this match after his emphatic victory against defending champion, Alexander Zverev in the QF. Musetti outclassed the German 7-5, 7-5 hitting just 3 aces and committing a single double fault. He won 81% of his first serve and 61% of his second serve. However, in the breakpoints, he recorded 3/4.

Djokovic vs Musetti: Head-to-Head

The two players have played against each other seven times in their careers, with Djokovic in a massive 6-1 lead over the Italian player. Their first meeting took place in the Roland Garros, and their latest meeting took place in the Wimbledon.

• 2021 Roland Garros R16: Djokovic 6-7, 6-7, 6-1, 6-0, 4-0 RET
• 2022 Dubai R32: Djokovic 6-3, 6-3
• 2022 Paris Masters QF: Djokovic 6-0, 6-3
• 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters R16: Musetti 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
• 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters R16: Djokovic 7-5, 6-3
• 2024 Roland Garros R32: Djokovic 7-5, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
• 2024 Wimbledon SF: Djokovic 6-4, 6-7, 6-4

Prediction: Djokovic to win in three sets

Despite portraying his concern for this injury, Djokovic has clearly stated, “These are very rare chances to fight for a medal for my country. So I’m going to do everything possible in the next — less than 24 hours to put myself in a position to fight for Serbia.” So, Musetti may well face a tough challenge up ahead in the SF. Djokovic hasn’t won a title this year but has a win-loss record of 24-8 this season. He’s hungry and ready to prowl on its prey! Musetti on the other hand, has a win-loss record of 26-19.

This is probably going to be the final chance for the Serb to grab a gold medal for his nation. He has already won three major titles at this iconic venue, so he surely knows a way or two more on how to bring the best out of himself on this surface. Djokovic is an aggressive baseline player who heavily relies on his strong groundstrokes from both wings to topple his opponents.

His backhand is widely regarded as one of the greatest two-handed backhands of all time. The Djoker is an exceptional returner of the ball and his serve is also one of his lethal weapons. So far he has managed to win 85% of his service games and 30% of his return games. On the other side, Musetti comes up with a lot of variety in his game. He is a natural clay court player and has a long backswing on both forehand and backhand.

This huge backswing can put Djokovic in a bit of trouble on this surface. However, Musetti’s biggest weapon is his one-handed backhand shot. Lorenzo Musetti is someone who loves to dictate the play during his matches, but is it even allowed to think against someone like Djokovic? Perhaps not! So, I’m keeping the world number 2 ahead of the number 16 in this intriguing contest.