Tel Aviv Open 2022 Final: Novak Djokovic vs Marin Cilic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Detals

Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs (2) Marin Cilic

Date: October 2, 2022

Tournament: Tel Aviv Open 2022.

Round: Final.

Venue: Tel Aviv, Israel.

Category: ATP 250.

Surface: Hard.

Prize money: €949,475.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports.

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Novak Djokovic vs Marin Cilic preview

Djokovic will be eager to win his third title of the season

Top seed Novak Djokovic will be up against second seed Marin Cilic in the final of the 2022 Tel Aviv Open on Sunday.

The Serb has done well in the tournament so far and is yet to drop a set. He received a bye to the second round by virtue of being one of the top four seeds and thrashed Pablo Andujar 6-0, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals.

Here, Djokovic defeated his friend Vasek Pospisil 7-6(5), 6-3 to reach the semifinals. The Serb faced Roman Safiullin and dominated the first set, winning it 6-1. The second set was tightly-contested but he managed to win it 7-6(3) in the tiebreaker to win the match and seal his place in the final.

Marin Cilic in action at the US Open

Like Djokovic, Cilic also received a bye to the round of 16, where he beat Dominic Thiem 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4, thus registering his first victory over the Austrian.

The Croat was scheduled to play Liam Broady in the quarterfinals but the Brit was forced to withdraw, handing the former a walkover into the semifinals. Here, he beat Constant Lestienne 7-5, 6-3 to reach his first final of the season.

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Novak Djokovic vs Marin CIlic head-to-head

Djokovic leads 18-2 in the head-to-head against Cilic and the duo will face each other for the 21st time on Sunday. It will also be their third meeting in finals.

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Novak Djokovic vs Marin Cilic odds

Player Name	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (Over and Under)
Novak Djokovic	-500	-4.5 (+120)	Over 21.5 (-120)
Marin Cilic	+350	+4.5 (-163)	Under 21.5 (-120)

All odds are sourced by bet365.

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Novak Djokovic vs Marin Cilic prediction

Djokovic will enter the match as the favorite but Cilic should not be written off. The Croat will no doubt be the 35-year-old's toughest opponent in Tel Aviv and we could have a promising match on our hands.

Djokovic's serve, groundstrokes, court coverage and mentality are more than enough to make things difficult. The Serb's return game, however, will be put to the test as he will come up against one of the best servers on tour in Cilic.

The Croat will look to make the most out of his service games while looking for the odd decisive break. Cilic has often struggled against Djokovic in the past and will have to be at his best to stand a chance against the 21-time Grand Slam champion on Sunday.

The match promises to be an exciting one and Djokovic should be able to come out on top in this battle of the Balkans and claim his third title of the season.

Pick: Djokovic to win in three sets.