The Clash of Titans! Novak Djokovic has won almost everything in his career, but still, if something is missing from his trophy cabinet then it’s surely going to be an Olympic gold medal. This is his fifth appearance at the mega event and his best result at the Olympics came in Beijing in 2008 when he won a bronze medal in the singles event.

The Serb is yet to win a title this season, however, he has played some exceptional tennis in the past few days and has already moved to the QF. He’ll face the Greek tennis heartthrob, Stefanos Tsitsipas in an attempt to advance further. Who has the edge in this intriguing contest?

Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas: Preview

The 37-year-old tennis star started his campaign with a comfortable two-set victory against Australia’s Matthew Ebden in the R1 followed by victory over rival Rafael Nadal! He took just two sets to beat the Spanish superstar. Djokovic overcame the German hurdle, Dominik Koepfer in the next by 7-5,6-3 to secure a place in the QF of the Paris Olympics. He hit 5 aces but didn’t commit any double fault against the German. Djokovic won 86% of his first serve and 55% of his second serve but he could only convert 3/4 of his breakpoints.

Stefanos Tsitsipas on the other hand had to go through a hard-fought battle in the first round against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs. However, in the second round, he comfortably outclassed Dan Evans (GBR) by 6-1,6-2. Then again, in the third round, he beat the Argentinian, Sebastian Baez by two sets. In that match, the Greek hit 5 aces and committed an equal number of double faults. He won 89% of his first serve and just 26% of his second serve. In the breakpoints, he could only manage to record 5/7.

Djokovic vs Tsitsipas: Head-to-Head

Both of these tennis stars have played some good tennis this season. They have come closer to clinching titles several times in their previous tournaments, but only Tsitsipas has succeeded once. They will play against each other for the first time this season, which will mark their 14th meeting, with Djokovic currently leading the race by 11-2!

• 2019 Madrid Open F: Djokovic 6-3, 6-4
• 2020 Roland Garros SF: Djokovic 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1
• 2021 Rome Masters QF: Djokovic 4-6, 7-5, 7-5
• 2021 Roland Garros F: Djokovic 2-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
• 2022 Rome Masters F: Djokovic 6-0, 7-6(5)

The duo have faced each other each other on hard courts aside from their clay clashes, with Tsitsipas being triumphant twice over the Serb. However, he doesn’t hold a candle on his preferred surface.

Prediction: Djokovic to win in three sets

Djokovic’s win in the R16 has made him the first singles player following tennis’ reintroduction (1988) to the Olympics to reach the QF at four different editions of the Games. This is probably going to be his last chance to grab a gold medal for his nation at the Olympics. So, the Serb is looking quite desperate this time to end the journey here on a high note. Djokovic has a win-loss record of 24-8 this season, but he has never lost to Tsitsipas in their 5 faceoffs on clay courts over the years. Not only that, Tsitsipas (11) has lost his last ten matches against Djokovic (2).

So, this is going to give the Serb an enormous boost in his confidence level before entering this contest. However, if we take a closer look at the Greek player this season, he has a win-loss record of 32-13, and some of his best performances have come on the clay in 2024. Both of these tennis stars are aggressive baseliners, but Tsitsipas’ powerful groundstrokes may prove to be a bit difficult for Djokovic. Tsitsipas has always said, “I feel very confident when I step on the dirt. I always show my best tennis on this surface.” 

He will be keen to use more of his forehands and big serves in this match, but at the same time, he has to keep an eye on the unforced errors. Tsitsipas is prone to overhitting the balls. However, his one-handed backhand shots are something the fans would been keenly waiting to see in this match. What does Djokovic have to counter all of these?

Well, Nole’s backhand is widely regarded as one of the best in business. He’s an extremely good returner of the serve and even on his own serves he’s more than capable of keeping Tsitsipas on his toes. Overall looking at their previous records and stats, it seems Tsitsipas may well take a set from this match, but not more than that!