Italian Open 2021: Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Sonego preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Sonego

Date: 15 May 2021

Tournament: Internazionali BNL d'italia 2021

Round: Semifinals

Venue: Rome, Italy

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €2,082,960

Match timing: Not before 6.30 pm local time, 4.30 pm GMT, 1.30 pm EST

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

Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Sonego preview

Novak Djokovic orchestrated a brilliant come-from-behind performance to fend off a spirited attempt from Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Italian Open on Saturday.

Djokovic fell behind in each of the three sets but managed to turn things around to close out a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 win in a match that went on for a little over three hours. Awaiting Djokovic in the last-four encounter is Italy's Lornezo Sonego, who outlasted seventh seed Andrey Rublev in another three-set thriller.

Lorenzo Sonego

Sonego is enjoying a career-best season in 2021. The 26-year-old has already lifted an ATP crown at the Sardegna Open, which has helped him reach a career-high of No. 28 in the world rankings.

Sonego has also produced some of his best tennis this week, and is now set to play in the biggest-ever semifinal.

Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Sonego preview head-to-head

Lorenzo Sonego leads Novak Djokovic in the head-to-head with a 1-0 margin. The Italian scored a surprise win over the World No. 1 at the 2020 Vienna Open.

Novak Djokovic vs Lorenzo Sonego prediction

Novak Djokovic will be eyeing a revenge for his loss from last year.

Novak Djokovic has made a strong start to his campaign here in Rome. He has scored resounding wins over the likes of Taylor Fritz and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Fokina, but it's his performance against Tsitsipas that's likely to give him a lot of confidence heading into the business end of the tournament.

The top seed will also be looking to avenge his loss from last year's Vienna Open, where he could only manage three games against Lorenzo Sonego.

The Italian, on his part, will also be feeling good about his game. He has managed to oust top-10 opponents - Dominic Thiem and Andrey Rublev - in consecutive matches, and has barely shown any signs of fatigue.

Sonego is very comfortable on the red dirt and enjoys playing in long-drawn-out matches. He will once again look to turn this into a physical battle and hope for some lapses from the top seed.

That said, Djokovic seemed at his vintage best towards the end of the quarter-final match, retrieving balls from seemingly impossible court positions and turning defense into offense with ease. He will enter this contest on a confidence high, and should be able to walk away with a win.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in two tight sets.