Novak Djokovic vs Dominic Thiem
The second quarter-final clash here will be contested against recent rivals Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic. The two faced off at the semi-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia immediately after Thiem knocked title favourite Rafael Nadal out of the tournament.
Thiem has been in brilliant form this season, winning the singles title at Rio de Janeiro on clay this year. Six of his eight Tour-level titles are on clay, which should prove how good he is on that surface. But Novak Djokovic is successful on every single surface going – clay included, and despite not having won the French Open until 2016, has one of the best clay court records in tennis.
Given Thiem has never beaten Djokovic in the five matches they have played against each other, this might not be expected to go down to the wire. But Thiem has beaten an in-form Nadal, and could pull an ace out.
The two met at the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, with Djokovic thundering through to the finals to eventually win the title. Djokovic has also enjoyed a return (although not a full one) to his form of old lately, and has displayed some of his trademark fighting spirit again – which does not spell good news for Dominic Thiem.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in four sets
