Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will be bidding to advance to the quarter-finals of the 2024 competition when he locks horns with Holger Rune on Monday.
Djokovic came from a set down to overcome Australia's Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the competition, while Rune produced an excellent comeback to navigate his way past Quentin Halys.
Match preview
© Reuters
Djokovic - Wimbledon champion in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 - was comfortable in his opening match at this year's competition, recording a three-set victory over Vit Kopriva.
However, he has dropped sets in his last two matches, with Jacob Fearnley certainly causing him problems before losing 3-1 in the second round of the competition, and Djokovic then had to come from a set behind against Popyrin in the third round to ensure that he would be present at this stage.
The 37-year-old will be expecting to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for glory this summer, and he will be the overwhelming favourite to overcome Rune in the fourth round of the competition.
"A very challenging match, I think mentally as well, to hang in there," Djokovic said following the third-round contest.
"I was not allowed to have too big concentration lapses. I think I've done well in that regard. That was one of the best tie-breaks I've played this year, that's for sure."
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Standing in Djokovic's way is 21-year-old Rune, who reached the quarter-finals of last year's Wimbledon, which proved to be his joint-best performance in a Grand Slam.
Like Djokovic, Rune had a straightforward first-round match, beating Kwon Soon-woo 6-1 6-4 6-4, but he then needed to come from a set down against Thiago Seyboth Wild in the second round of the tournament.
His reward for overcoming the Brazilian was a battle with Halys, and the Dane was involved in a five-set thriller, ultimately triumphing 3-2 courtesy of a 6-1 final set.
Rune was brilliant after losing the first two sets, but he now faces a major step up in class, and it would be a huge shock if the 15th seed was unable to navigate his way into the final eight despite his previous success against Monday's opponent.
Indeed, the Dane has managed to beat Djokovic in two of their previous five meetings, and he will certainly have youth on his side against his 37-year-old opponent.
Tournament so far
Holger Rune:
First round: vs. Kwon Soon-woo 6-1 6-4 6-4
Second round: vs. Thiago Seyboth Wild 3-6 6-3 6-2 6-2
Third round: vs. Quentin Halys 1-6 [4]6-7 6-4 7-6[4] 6-1
Novak Djokovic:
First round: vs. Vit Kopriva 6-1 6-2 6-2
Second round: vs. Jacob Fearnley 6-3 6-4 5-7 7-5
Third round: vs. Alexei Popyrin 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6[3]
Head To Head
US Open (2021) - Round of 128: Djokovic 6-1 [5]6-7 6-2 6-1
ATP Masters 1000 Paris (2022) - Final: Rune 3-6 6-3 7-5
ATP Masters 1000 Rome (2023) - Quarter-final: Rune 6-2 4-6 6-2
ATP Masters 1000 Paris (2023) - Quarter-final: Djokovic 7-5 [3]6-7 6-4
Nitto ATP Finals (2023) - Round robin: Djokovic 7-6[4] [1]6-7 6-3
The two players have met on five previous occasions, and Rune has actually won two of those matches, including the final of the ATP Masters 1000 Paris back in 2022.
The last two meetings between them have been won by Djokovic, but they have been close affairs, with Rune securing a set each time, and he has often made it difficult for the Serbian in their previous match-ups.
We say: Djokovic to win in four sets
Rune's previous experience of beating Djokovic will stand him in good stead, and we are expecting the Dane to have enough quality to take another set off the world number two on Monday.
However, Djokovic should have more than enough to continue his progression in the competition.
Matt Law
