Italian Open 2022: 3 things that could determine the outcome of Novak Djokovic's 2R clash with Aslan Karatsev

Top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia will face Aslan Karatsev of Russia in a second-round clash at the Italian Open on Tuesday. Djokovic, who lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the Madrid Open on Saturday, will head into Tuesday’s match as the firm favorite.

The Serb will also want to avenge his loss to the Russian at last year’s Serbia Open. Playing in front of his home fans, the World No. 1 fell to a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 loss in the semifinals.

On that note, let's take a look at three factors that might determine the outcome of the match:

#1 Novak Djokovic should look to exploit Aslan Karatsev’s inconsistent serve

The quality of Karatsev’s serve is going to be an important factor on Tuesday. He is not known to possess a particularly big serve and his second serve can crumble under pressure.

That does not augur well for the Russian heading into his match against Novak Djokovic, who is possibly the greatest returner of all time. The Serb will definitely want to punish Karatsev’s weaker second serve by returning from an advanced court position.

The Serb struggled on return in his Madrid semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz and will no doubt want to improve against Karatsev.

#2 Backhand duel

Karatsev possesses powerful groundstrokes, especially on the backhand side

Both Djokovic and Karatsev have strong backhands and one can expect to see a lot of crosscourt exchanges between the two on Tuesday.

Karatsev possesses a lot of power, but might find it difficult to hit through Djokovic on the slow clay of Rome.

The World No. 1 is known for the perfect placement of his strokes and will try to bother the Russian with deep and precise shots.

#3 Novak Djokovic's drop shot

Novak Djokovic can play quality drop shots on his day and should look to employ them often in Tuesday’s match. Karatsev’s court coverage is pretty good, but he does not possess great net skills.

Thus, if the Serb can bring the Russian forward on his terms, he will gain the upper hand in the rallies.