Dubai Tennis Championships 2023: Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs (3) Daniil Medvedev

Date: Friday, March 3, 2023

Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships

Round: Semifinals

Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Center, Dubai

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $3,020,525

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

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Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev preview

Djokovic is on a roll.

Top seed Novak Djokovic will take on third seed Daniil Medvedev in a blockbuster second semifinal at the ATP 500 Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday (March 3).

World No. 1 Djokovic, on a record 378th week atop the rankings, continued his perfect start to the season on Thursday. He earned a straight-sets win against Marseille winner Hubert Hurkacz.

After taking the opener 6-3, the Serb faced sterner resistance in the second, but a break in the 11th game allowed him to serve out his 15th win of the season. Earlier in the week, the reigning Australian Open winner needed a third-set tiebreak to beat qualifier Tomas Machak. He then dropped only five games against Tallon Griekspoor.

Meanwhile, seventh-ranked Medvedev is also riding a purple patch. He beat Borna Coric for his 12th straight win, having won the Rotterdam and Doha titles in the previous two weeks.

The 27-year-old previously beat lucky loser Matteo Arnaldi and Alexander Bublik for the loss of six games apiece before overcoming Coric in the last eight. The Russian is now 17-2 on the season.

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Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev head-to-head

Djokovic and Medvedev have had some great battles over the years. The Serb leads their H2H 9-4, but Medvedev notably thwarted Djokovic in the 2021 US Open final to deny him a calendar year Grand Slam. However, the World No. 1 has taken the pair's last four meetings since that Flushing Meadows loss.

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Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bet	Total games (over/under)
Novak Djokovic	-225	-2.5 (-138)	Over 22.5 (-125)
Daniil Medvedev	+100	+2.5 (+100)	Under 22.5 (-110)

Odds as per bet365.

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Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev prediction

Medvedev is riding an impressive winning streak.

This is almost the final before the final - a matchup that would have been more than worthy of being the title match.

Djokovic and Medvedev are two of the best players in the game currently and have no discernible weaknesses in their game. Both are quintessential counterpunchers who look to dominate opponents from the baseline and tend to produce their best tennis on hard court.

The Serb is widely regarded as the game's best returner, while Medvedev has an impressive baseline game and powerful serve that could hurt Djokovic. Recent matchups haven't favored the Russian, but considering his recent imperious form, Medvedev could hand Djokovic his first loss of the season.

Prediction: Medvedev in three sets