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Match details
Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs Mats Moraing
Date: 25 May 2
Tournament: Belgrade Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
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 Mats Moraing preview
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will begin his 2021 Belgrade Open campaign with a second-round match against Mats Moraing.
Moraing survived a see-saw affair against Egor Gerasimov in his first-round match on Monday. The German was on the brink of defeat several times, but he eventually emerged a 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5 victor.
Gerasimov led 6-4, 4-0 at one point, with three game points for a 5-0 lead. But Moraing staged a comeback for the ages to take the set to a tiebreaker, and then saved multiple match points to force a deciding set.
The 28-year-old found himself an early break down in the third set too. Although he broke back immediately, he lost his serve again at 4-4 to give Gerasimov a chance to serve for the match. But Moraing produced another strong comeback to reel off three games in a row and send the Belarusian packing.
The match between Gerasimov and Moraing lasted three hours and featured a whopping 41 break point opportunities. All combined, the German saved three match points in stunning fashion to set up the clash with home favorite Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic, on his part, is coming off a spectacular performance at the Italian Open, where he finished as the runner-up to Rafael Nadal. The Serb registered victories over Lorenzo Sonego, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Taylor Fritz en route to the title match.
Novak Djokovic vs Mats Moraing head-to-head
The first-round encounter in Belgrade will be the first meeting between Novak Djokovic and Mats Moraing, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Novak Djokovic vs Mats Moraing prediction
Mats Moraing struggled mightily on his serve in the first round, and would likely have been made to pay for that by a more consistent opponent. Novak Djokovic will give the World No. 253 plenty to think about in that regard, given his reputation as the best returner of all time.
Novak Djokovic will also be looking to fine-tune his game ahead of the French Open, where he has big ambitions. The Serb believes there is no better way to prepare for his Paris title bid than by getting match practice on the claycourts of his home event, and so he is unlikely to be lacking in motivation this week.
There is a considerable gulf in quality and experience between Djokovic and Moraing. The German might have staged a miraculous escape against Gerasimov in the first round, but he will need more than a miracle to beat the Serb.
Djokovic might not have much trouble dusting off his first opponent in Belgrade, especially given his recent claycourt form.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.
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