World Tennis League 2022: Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: Novak Djokovic (Team Falcons) vs Alexander Zverev (Team Hawks).

Date: 20 December 2022.

Tournament: World Tennis League.

Round: Group stage.

Venue: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Category: Exhibition Tournament.

Surface: Hardcourt.

Match timing: Approx 8:30 pm local time, 4:30 pm GMT, 11:30 am ET and 10 pm IST.

Live telecast: USA, UK - Tennis Channel | Australia - Stan Sport | India - Jio Cinema & Sports 18.

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Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev preview

Novak Djokovic at the 2022 ATP Finals.

21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic will square off against World No. 12 Alexander Zverev in the group stage of the World Tennis League on Tuesday.

Djokovic endured a turbulent season this year as vaccine mandates prevented him from competing in the Australian Open and the US Open. It also forced him to miss a few more big tournaments. The Serb still managed to accomplish a fair bit despite a few hiccups along the way.

Djokovic notched up his 1000th career victory at the Italian Open and won the tournament for a record-extending 38th Masters title. While his title defense at the French Open came to an end in the quarterfinals against Rafael Nadal, he has been the best player on the tour since that defeat.

He won his 21st Major title at Wimbledon, following which he competed in the Laver Cup. He lost one of his singles ties to Felix Auger-Aliassime but won his other two matches. The Serb then claimed back-to-back titles in Tel Aviv and Astana.

His winning streak finally came to an end in the final of the Paris Masters, where he was defeated by Holger Rune. Djokovic concluded his year on a positive note, winning his sixth title at the ATP Finals.

Alexander Zverev at the Diriyah Tennis Cup.

Zverev commenced his season at the ATP Cup by representing Germany but failed to advance out of the group stage. He then lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open. He reached his first final of the year at the Open Sud de France but was defeated by Alexander Bublik.

After a couple of disappointing results, he reached the quarterfinals of the Miami Open. He had a strong clay season, which included a runner-up finish at the Madrid Open. The 25-year-old made it to the semifinals of the French Open but injured himself after twisting his ankle.

The German underwent surgery for the same and is on a comeback after a six-month hiatus. He competed in an exhibition match in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. He defeated Dominic Thiem before losing to Daniil Medvedev.

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Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev head-to-head

Djokovic leads Zverev 7-4 in the head-to-head. The latter won their previous match in the 2021 ATP Finals in three sets.

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Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Novak Djokovic
Alexander Zverev

(Odds will be added once they're available)

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Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev prediction

Novak Djokovic at the 2022 ATP Finals.

The two have played out quite a few memorable matches and their last two have gone the distance. Zverev won a three-set battle in the semifinals of the 2021 ATP Finals, while Djokovic needed five sets to overcome him at last year's US Open.

Considering the German's lack of match play over the last few months, he might find it tough to challenge his opponent. Even at his best, Zverev's game was plagued with some serious deficiencies, which cost him quite a few matches. His serve tends to breakdown and his passive gameplay puts him on the backfoot too.

Djokovic has been in scintillating form and has lost just a couple of matches in the last six months, while this will be Zverev's third match in that period. It's safe to say that the Serb should win this one quite easily.

Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.