Tomas Martin Etcheverry versus Novak Djokovic might seem extremely lopsided on paper, but I think there could be a twist or two in this Day 6 third-rounder. Etcheverry has looked remarkable in Melbourne thus far, earning straight-set wins over both Andy Murray and Gael Monfils. Meanwhile, Djokovic has looked mortal through two rounds, dropping sets against both Dino Prizmic and Alexei Popyrin.
Djokovic has been dealing with an illness early in the tournament, so we haven’t seen the best version of the 24-time Grand Slam champion. Perhaps he’ll snap out of it and absolutely pummel Etcheverry, but I have my doubts. Etcheverry is holding serve regularly and really dictating play from the baseline. The latter is especially important, as I think he can put a scare into Djokovic if he remains solid from back there. Etcheverry gets good depth on his shots, and he packs more punch than you’d think. If Djokovic isn’t playing at a high level, that’s going to be hard for him to deal with.
