Serbia Open 2021: Men's singles draw analysis, preview & prediction

The Serbia Open marks first of two ATP 250 tournaments to take place at the Novak Tennis Center this summer.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has signed up to play in his hometown tournament, which is being organized by his brother Djordje. But the field has several other big names too, including Matteo Berrettini, Aslan Karatsev, Filip Krajinovic, Dusan Lajovic and Miomir Kecmanovic.

World No. 4 Dominic Thiem was initially scheduled to play the event too, but he pulled out earlier this week due to a knee injury.

After nine years, the tennis star will participate in the Serbia Open 2021 tour, which will be held from April 19th to 24th on the courts of #NovakTennisCenter #SerbiaOpen #serbiaopen2021 pic.twitter.com/D1QZcleaR7
— Serbia Open Official (@SerbiaOpen2021) April 16, 2021

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With main draw action set to begin on Monday, here's a look at the prospects of all the notable players in the mix.

Top half: Local hero Novak Djokovic begins as the heavy favorite

Top seeded players: [1] Novak Djokovic, [3] Aslan Karatsev, [6] Marton Fucsovics, [8] Miomir Kecmanovic

Expected semifinal: Novak Djokovic vs Aslan Karatsev

Dark horse: Sebastian Korda

Novak Djokovic showed signs of rust at the Monte Carlo Masters last week, and was eliminated in the third round by World No. 33 Dan Evans. But the Serb will be hoping to get back into his groove soon, as he has two crucial title defences coming up - at the Madrid Masters and the Rome Masters.

Fortunately for Djokovic, his Belgrade draw looks fairly uncomplicated. The 33-year-old will likely start his campaign against Kwon Soon-woo in the second round, after which he could face Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarterfinals and Aslan Karatsev in the semis.

.@SerbiaOpen2021 draw: Djokovic faces Kwon or qualifier in the second round, potential Serbian QF with Kecmanovic or Djere. Karatsev or Fucsovics in SF (also there: Korda, Popyrin, Bedene). pic.twitter.com/L0V6cJOOtM
— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) April 17, 2021

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Karatsev has taken the ATP tour by storm this year, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open straight from qualification. The Russian also won his first tour-level title last month, at the ATP 500 event in Dubai.

However, Karatsev could have a potentially tricky quarterfinal against Marton Fucsovics or Sebastian Korda. The latter has shown a lot of promise over the last six months, reaching the final at Delray Beach and the quarterfinal at the Miami Masters.

Semifinal prediction: Novak Djokovic vs Sebastian Korda

Bottom half: Matteo Berrettini hoping to pick up some form, Serbs Dusan Lajovic and Filip Krajinovic looking to entertain the home fans

Top seeded players: [2] Matteo Berrettini, [4] Dusan Lajovic, [5] Filip Krajinovic, [7] John Millman

Expected semifinal: Matteo Berrettini vs Dusan Lajovic

Dark horse: Emil Ruusuvuori

Second seed Matteo Berrettini leads the bottom half of the draw in Belgrade. The Italian has struggled to find his form ever since the tour restart, failing to get past the quarterfinal at any event over the last six months.

Berrettini also picked up an injury in Melbourne, which forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open fourth round. His only singles match since then has been a first-round defeat in Monte Carlo.

To make matters worse, the World No. 10 has a very difficult path to the final this week. Berrettini could come up against local favorites Viktor Troicki and Filip Krajinovic in the second round and quarterfinal respectively.

Krajonivic on his part starts against Stefano Travaglia, and could face Federico Coria in the second round.

At the other end of the section, tour mainstays John Millman and Dusan Lajovic are the highest seeded players. That said, Emil Ruusuvuori could also be a player to watch this week, he faces Pablo Cuevas in the first round, and could play Millman in the second.

Ruusuvuori produced deep runs in Dubai and Miami prior to the clay season, to add to his memorable five-set win over Gael Monfils at the Australian Open. But the 22-year-old may have to face Lajovic in the quarterfinals, which would be a tough assignment given the Serb's comfort level on clay.

Semifinal prediction: Filip Krajinovic vs Dusan Lajovic