Today, the world no.1 Novak Djokovic will start his campaign at the Madrid Open against the French superstar Gael Monfils. Fans are already looking forward to this match after Monfils won his first-round match against Carlos Gimeno Valero.

A few days back, Djokovic reached the final of the Serbian Open, which will definitely boost his confidence for the whole clay-court season. Meanwhile, Monfils hasn’t played any tournaments since the Miami Open. Due to a foot injury, he missed the Monte Carlo Masters, but now, he is back again at the Madrid Open to produce some entertaining tennis.

Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils: Preview

This is the first time Novak will be playing since losing to Andrey Rublev in the final of the Serbian Open. Whereas, Monfils already won his first match at the Madrid Open beating, Gimeno Valero, 6-3,6-0. After winning his first match, there is no doubt that Monfils will have more confidence in his game. 

Meanwhile, Djokovic hasn’t played many matches on the tour this year. Madrid Open will be his fourth tournament overall in 2022. Certainly, he is lacking court time to produce good results. Earlier, he lost in the very first round at Monte Carlo Masters. Although he reached the final in Belgrade, he lost terribly in the final against Rublev. Despite that loss, he felt good about his performance, as he spent much-needed time on the court. 

Now, it will be interesting to see if he can find his level against a top player like Monfils in his very first match at the Madrid Open.

Djokovic vs Monfils: Head-to-Head 

When it comes to the head-to-head record, the Serbian is by far the most dominant. He has a 100% winning record against the Frenchman. In their 17 meetings so far, Novak won all of them. Interestingly, they have met each other on clay only once, at the 2016 French Open. 

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Djokovic vs Monfils: Prediction

It’s a fact that Djokovic has been the dominant force in this tie. However, the Frenchman has a tremendous opportunity at the Madrid Open against Novak, as the Serb’s confidence and match fitness is not great currently.

We all know, Monfils’ power game as it’s one of the best. However, he is also one of the trickiest players on the tour. With his power, he can really put Novak on the back foot. Also, he can use some drop shots to stretch him even more. 

Meanwhile, Novak needs to stick to his usual game plan as it has been a big success against Monfils in the past.

Prediction: Gael Monfils will win against Novak Djokovic in three sets. 

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