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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs Yoshihito Nishioka
Tournament: French Open 2022
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €21,256,800
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK- Eurosport | India - Sony Ten
Novak Djokovic vs Yoshihito Nishioka preview
Top seed Novak Djokovic will kick off his French Open title defense against World No. 94 Yoshihito Nishioka.
Djokovic's clay season began on a sour note. He lost a three-set contest against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Monte-Carlo Masters as he struggled with his form and fitness. He fared much better at the Serbia Open, fighting his way to the final. But the title eluded him as he lost to Andrey Rublev in three sets.
Djokovic appeared to hit his stride at the Madrid Open, where he reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in a titanic three-set tussle. The Serb claimed his maiden title of the season at the Italian Open by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
Djokovic has found his best form ahead of the French Open, where he will look to bag a 21st Grand Slam crown and become the first man to complete a triple career Slam.
Yoshihito Nishioka, meanwhile, kicked off his clay season at the BMW Open in Munich. He defeated Maximilian Marterer and Yannick Hanfmann to qualify for the main draw. He lost to Emil Ruusuvuori in the first round in two tight sets.
Nishioka then suffered a string of losses in the lead-up to the French Open. He didn't advance to the main draw in Madrid, Rome and Lyon as he failed to win a single match in the qualifiers.
He has never been beyond the second round at Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic vs Yoshihito Nishioka head-to-head
Djokovic leads Nishioka 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2020 Australian Open in straight sets.
Novak Djokovic vs Yoshihito Nishioka odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Novak Djokovic vs Yoshihito Nishioka prediction
This is likely to be a very one-sided contest. Nishioka has struggled mightily in recent weeks, while Djokovic has gotten better with every match he's played. The Serb will use this match to get used to the conditions in Paris and find some rhythm ahead of sterner challenges in the future.
Djokovic has no real weaknesses in his game. His fitness was a cause for concern early on in the clay season, but he seems to have remedied that during his time in Madrid and Rome. His serve is firing on all cylinders and his movement is as sharp as ever.
Nishioka, on his part, enjoys grinding it out from the back of the court. But getting into lengthy baseline duels against the World No. 1 will be a recipe for disaster. The Japanese has just two wins over top-10 opponents in his career and it's highly unlikely that Djokovic will be his third scalp.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.
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