Belgrade Open 2021: Novak Djokovic vs Alex Molcan preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs Alex Molcan

Date: 30 May 2021

Tournament: Belgrade Open 2021

Round: Final

Venue: Belgrade, Serbia

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Red Clay

Prize money: €511,000

Match timing: Not before 2 pm local time, 12 pm GMT, 8 am EST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Novak Djokovic vs Alex Molcan preview

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will be looking to win a third career title in Belgrade when he faces World No. 255 Alex Molcan in the final of the 2021 Serbia Open on Saturday.

Novak Djokovic, who had reigned supreme at Belgrade back in 2009 and 2011, was largely spotless at the start of his semifinal encounter against Slovakia's Andrej Martin on Friday. The Serb took the first set 6-1 in around half an hour, while bagging nearly 70% of his service points.

However, Djokovic would become jittery in the second set, allowing his lower-ranked opponent to break him thrice en route to winning the set 6-4. The World No. 1 regained his rhythm on serve soon enough though, breaking Martin's serve thrice en route to bagelling the Slovak in the deciding set.

Alex Molcan, meanwhile, has had quite a fairytale week in Belgrade.

Alex Molcan

Molcan mostly competes on the Transition Tour, where he has won four titles in seven final appearances. He had to play the qualifying event at Belgrade to get entry in the main draw, given his low ranking.

But the 23-year-old was able to qualify for the 250-level event, after which he recorded his first ATP match win too - over Serbian wildcard Hamad Medjedovic. Molcan then beat fellow qualifier Pedja Krstin, before proceeding to thrash former World No. 7 Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals (for the loss of just two games).

With a maiden tour final in his sights, the Slovak made a resilient comeback in his last-four encounter against Federico Delbonis. Molcan came back from a set and a break down to upset the World No. 52 in three sets.

Novak Djokovic vs Alex Molcan head-to-head

The championship match in Belgrade will be the first-ever career meeting between Novak Djokovic and Alex Molcan, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Novak Djokovic vs Alex Molcan prediction

Alex Molcan is a left-handed player and hits solid groundstrokes off both wings, but the biggest feature of his performance this week has been his mentality. Molcan saved 13 of the 19 break points he faced against Delbonis, refusing to buckle under the pressure despite playing just the third ATP event of his career.

While Molcan has played the best tennis of his life, Novak Djokovic has struggled to overpower his lower-ranked opponents this week in Belgrade. The Serb has instead relied heavily on his reflexes from the baseline to redirect his opponents' groundstrokes.

Novak Djokovic serves

That said, Djokovic has been getting a lot of free points on his serve. The Serb won nearly 70% of his second-serve points during his semifinal encounter, which suggests Molcan might find it tough to make inroads while returning on Saturday.

Djokovic will likely target Molcan's backhand return during the championship match with his efficient wide serve. If the Serb is swinging freely, he should be expected to be on top of the exchanges against Molcan, who is a relatively inexperienced customer at this stage.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.

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