ATP Finals London Preview: Novak Djokovic vs. Dominic Thiem

If he wasn't already, Novak Djokovic is the player to beat this week in London. The Serbian was cold and clinical to start his campaign, winning 66% of total points in his merciless destruction of Matteo Berrettini to kick off the event over the weekend. Djokovic will look to continue his torrid end of season run, as he faces the in-form Dominic Thiem for the third time this year and chases Rafael Nadal for the year-end No. 1 ranking.

Thiem is tied with Djokovic with an ATP-leading five titles this season and proven his game extends far beyond red clay. The Austrian recently captured his first 500-level title indoor at Vienna for his third triumph on hard courts in 2019. A strong opening performance lifted him past Roger Federer on Sunday, putting the 26-year-old in prime position to make some serious noise at The O2 arena.

That being said, Thiem has never beaten Djokovic away from clay, with the Serbian leading 6-3 overall (and 3-0 on hard). After Tsitsipas and Zverev overcame a combined 0-10 record against their opening match opponents, it’s clear anything can happen in the year's final tournament.

Thiem did take a set over Djokovic at this event in 2016, and has vastly improved since then, especially indoors. Despite trending in the right direction, the oddsmakers give Thiem little to no chance to pull off the upset. They’ve learned by now to always give Djokovic the benefit of the doubt, and while this match could get interesting, expect Djokovic to prevail. Winner: Djokovic

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