Novak Djokovic has not been close to his dominant self this season. Since the Serb’s shock second-round exit at the Australian Open, he has been knocked out in his third match in of each of the last three tournaments he’s taken part in.
He was beaten by Nick Kyrgios in his last two hard-court tournaments at Acapulco and Indian Wells. And he began the clay court season with a quarterfinal defeat to David Goffin in the Monte Carlo Masters. Djokovic’s loss in that match was hardly surprising, seeing as he labored to three-set wins over Gilles Simon and Pablo Carreno Busta in his first two matches.
The World No. 2 is clearly not at his best, but despite his lack of form, it’s still tough to him fall in the first round in Madrid. The last time he crashed out at the very first hurdle in an ATP event was at last year’s Monte Carlo Masters.
For his first-round assignment in Madrid, Djokovic will face off with Nicolas Almagro, an opponent he’s beaten four times in a row, and twice on clay.
Based on his current form, Nicolas Almagro may not be the ideal player to capitalize on Novak Djokovic’s recent struggles. The 31-year-old Spaniard is having a decidedly mediocre season, going 7-7 in his 14 matches. That includes a 5-4 record in ATP tournaments on his preferred clay court surface, and a first-round exit in the Sophia Antipolis Challenger tournament.
Although, he did show some sign of improvement in his previous tournament at Estoril, as he defeated Benoit Paire and Gastao Elias in straight sets before bowing to World No. 20 Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarterfinals.
Almagro is also coming off a three-set win over veteran Tommy Robredo in the round of 64. He served up nine aces in that match, and won 44 percent of return points.
The chances of Almagro ousting Djokovic aren’t great, but he could still make life tough for the World No. 2. He took the Serb to the full three sets in their most recent meeting on clay back in 2015.
Writer’s Prediction
Djokovic (-700) gets out of the first round in Madrid as he beats Almagro for the fifth straight time.
