"It will never not be weird to see Novak Djokovic seeded fourth in an ATP500" - Tennis fans pumped after seeing star-studded line-up at Astana Open

Ready for its third edition, the Astana Open, an ATP 500 event, is all set to feature the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev. The tournament begins in Kazakhstan's capital city, Astana, also known as Nur-Sultan, on October 3 and the final will be played on October 9.

While the inaugural edition in 2020 saw Australia's John Millman take the crown, it was South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo who walked away with the title in 2021. Players gracing the event this time around include multiple top-10 stars like top seed Alcaraz, second seed Medvedev, third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, fourth seed Djokovic, fifth seed Andrey Rublev, sixth seed Jannik Sinner, seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz, and eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The tennis world is already thrilled and anticipating some mouthwatering clashes, especially between the top eight players. However, there are plenty of followers who are excited to see other players like Holger Rune, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, and Roberto Bautista Agut.

"It will never not be weird to see Djokovic seeded fourth in an ATP500. I hope Medvedev and Djoko meet in the SF, I miss their rivalry and an Alcaraz Djokovic final would be great," a fan tweeted.

"Novak in the final when coming back in 2 tournaments in a row, I'm not sure, I hope he does good but considering the fitness issues he had when he came back in Belgrade, Monte Carlo, Madrid and running out of steam at the end vs Nadal in RG, I don't how likely it is until I confirm he is not having the same issues as last time," a user wrote.

"Most people are doubting Sinner but they have every right to. He has the game to outplay everyone but he can be mentally not strong sometimes," another tweet read.

Here are a few more reactions:

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Novak Djokovic to face Marin Cilic in Tel Aviv summit clash

Marin Cilic (L) and Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is just one victory away from his 89th ATP singles title. A few hours from now, the Serb will take to the court and square off against Croatia's Marin Cilic in the final of the Tel Aviv Open, an ATP 250 tournament. This will be the 21st meeting between the two players, with the 21-time Grand Slam champion leading the head-to-head 18-2.

Novak Djokovic has been in fine form and is yet to drop a set all week. In his three matches so far, he has beaten Pablo Andujar of Spain, Vasek Pospisil of Canada, and Roman Safiullin of Russia.

Cilic, on the other hand, has played just two matches. The 16th-ranked player downed Austria's Diminic Thiem in his first match and received a walkover from Britain's Liam Broady in the second. In the semifinal, Cilic handed Constant Lestienne of France a straight-sets defeat to book his spot in the final.