Madrid Open 2022: Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs (7) Carlos Alcaraz

Date: 7 May 2022

Tournament: Madrid Open 2022

Round: Semifinals

Venue: Madrid, Spain

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Clay

Match timing: Not before 4 pm local time, 2 pm GMT, 10 am EST, 7.30 pm IST

Prize money: €6,744,165.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports18 & Voot

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz preview

Novak Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz for the very first time

Top seed Novak Djokovic will take on seventh seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the Madrid Open on Saturday.

Djokovic has had a turbulent start to the season, being unable to play in Australia and the US due to his unvaccinated status, which resulted in the Serb featuring in only 10 matches in 2022, winning seven of them. He reached the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, losing to Jiri Vesely. Djokovic followed this up with a second-round exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He reached his first final of the season at the Serbia Open, where he lost to Andrey Rublev.

The World No. 1 kickstarted his Madrid Open campaign with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Gael Monfils to advance to the third round. He was scheduled to play Andy Murray in the last 16 but the Scot withdrew due to illness, thus giving Djokovic a place in the quarterfinals.

Djokovic beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals on Friday to reach the last four of the tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, has enjoyed a tremendous season so far, with 26 wins from 29 matches. The Spaniard's first title of 2022 came at the Rio Open, where he beat Diego Schwartzman in the final. He then reached the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters but lost to Rafael Nadal in a grueling contest.

Alcaraz won the biggest title of his career so far at the Miami Masters, beating Casper Ruud in the final. Following a second-round exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters, the 19-year-old won the Barcelona Open by beating compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta in the final.

Alcaraz is seeded seventh in Madrid and started the tournament by beating Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 7-5. He then fought off Cameron Norrie in just under three hours in a tight three-set match to set up a quarterfinal clash against Nadal.

Alcaraz beat his idol 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 to reach the semifinals of the Madrid Open.

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head

This will be the very first meeting between Djokovic and Alcaraz, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0. The winner will face either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexander Zverev in the final of the Madrid Open.

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz odds

Player Name	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (Over and Under)
Novak Djokovic	+100	+1.5 (-120)	Under 22.5 (-105)
Carlos Alcaraz	-120	-1.5 (-110)	Over 22.5 (-135)

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz prediction

Carlos Alcaraz will enter the match as the favorite given his impressive form in recent months. The Spaniard will be confident and motivated having beaten Nadal and will pose a serious threat to Djokovic.

The Serb's increasing number of matches seems to be helpful as he is gradually getting to the level we have seen him play before. Djokovic has a solid overall game but may not serve as many aces against Alcaraz given his excellent return.

Alcaraz has the defensive skills and court coverage to match up to the World No. 1. He also has an astute drop shot that he can bring out in times of strife. The only concern regarding the Spaniard is his ankle, which he twisted in the last match.

The Serb is looking good at the moment but with the way Alcaraz is performing, the Spaniard has a strong chance of winning the match and reaching his second Masters 1000 final.

Pick: Alcaraz to win in three sets.