Nitto ATP Finals 2019: Novak Djokovic vs Dominic Thiem, Group Stage, where to watch, TV schedule, live stream details and more

By Shruti Sinha

Modified Nov 13, 2019 11:56 GMT

Novak Djokovic in action at the ATP Finals 2019

The evening session on Day 3 of the Nitto ATP Finals 2019 will see an intriguing clash between Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem, both of whom started their campaign with straight-set wins.

While Djokovic's breezy 6-2, 6-1 demolition of the eighth seed Matteo Berrettini was an expected result, nobody could have predicted Thiem's upset of Roger Federer without dropping a set. Considering how easily Federer had dispatched him with a 6-2, 6-3 scoreline at the Nitto ATP Finals last year, this was a remarkable turnaround from the Austrian.

It very much reflects the confidence he had been building up all year on surfaces other than clay. With his gritty win over Federer at the Indian Wells Masters final in March, Thiem first showed his growing comfort on hardcourts. He went on to further his credentials by winning the China Open and Vienna.

Now, with a fabulous victory over the six-time champion Federer on the fast indoor hardcourts at the O2 Arena, Thiem has not just displayed his versatility but also underlined his ambition to win it all.

But for that to happen, he needs to penetrate through the Serbian wall first. Facing the five-time champion Djokovic in the group stages could actually help Thiem, much like it benefitted 2018 winner Alexander Zverev last year.

The World No. 5 does indeed have three wins over the 16-time Grand Slam champion but all of them came on clay. That said, Thiem could draw inspiration from their solitary meeting at the season finale three years ago. He snatched a tight first set from Djokovic in a tie-break but was blown away by the former World No. 1 in the next two sets.

It's indeed a stern test for Thiem and even though Djokovic holds the edge in this encounter, the Austrian's chances of producing a second straight upset cannot be ruled out.

Prediction: Djokovic in three sets