Belgrade Open 2021: Novak Djokovic vs Andrej Martin preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs Andrej Martin

Date: 28 May 2021

Tournament: Belgrade Open 2021

Round: Semifinals

Venue: Belgrade, Serbia

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Red Clay

Prize money: €511,000

Match timing: Not before 2 pm local time, 12 pm GMT, 8 am EST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Novak Djokovic vs Andrej Martin preview

Novak Djokovic, the top seed in Belgrade, was in phenomenal form in the quarterfinals against Federico Coria. The Serb crushed the 29-year-old Argentine 6-1, 6-0 with a clinical display and will face qualifier Andrej Martin in the semifinals on Friday.

The victory was the 952nd of Djokovic's career and lifted him to joint-fifth on the list of most wins in the Open Era.

The Serb's season has been a mixed bag so far. He managed to win the Australian Open but then spent several weeks on the sidelines recovering from an abdominal injury.

After his return to the tour, he suffered surprising losses to the likes of Dan Evans and Aslan Karatsev before making the Rome final, where he was defeated by Rafael Nadal.

His semifinal opponent in Belgrade, qualifier Andrej Martin, knocked out third seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in the round of 16 and fifth seed Dusan Lajovic in the last eight. The World No. 119 had won just three of his last seven matches heading into the tournament, but has now won five in a row in the Serbian capital.

Martin fought back from a set down against Lajovic to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 after an intense battle. The 31-year-old, whose only ATP final came on clay in Croatia in 2016, has proven over the course of the week that he can be a dangerous player on this surface.

Novak Djokovic vs Andrej Martin head-to-head

Novak Djokovic and Andrej Martin have not faced off on tour before, so their head-to-head is tied at 0-0.

Novak Djokovic vs Andrej Martin prediction

Can Andrej Martin script another fairytale on Friday?

Novak Djokovic, who landed in the same half of the Roland Garros draw as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, will want to have a strong run in Belgrade before the French Open kicks off on Sunday.

Djokovic has looked solid for most of the season, but there are a few chinks in his game he will want to iron out before heading to Paris.

Martin, meanwhile, is gearing up for the biggest match of his career. The Slovakian has nothing to lose and will throw the kitchen sink at Djokovic to try and pull off the upset.

Djokovic, however, has looked in top form and should have enough in the tank to win this match.