Roland Garros 2021: Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Cuevas preview, head-to-head & prediction

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Novak Djokovic during his match against Tennys Sandgren
Novak Djokovic during his match against Tennys Sandgren

Match details

Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Cuevas

Date: 3 June 2021

Tournament: Roland Garros 2021

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red Clay

Prize Money: €17,171,108

Match timing: Not before 2.30 pm local time, 12.30 pm GMT, 8.30 am EST, 6 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Cuevas preview

Novak Djokovic thoroughly outclassed Tennys Sandgren in their first-round match at the 2021 Roland Garros on Tuesday. The top-ranked Serb needed less than two hours to seal a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win and set up a second-round clash with experienced Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas.

Djokovic barely put a foot wrong against Sandgren. The Serb won a whopping 86% of the points on his first serve and did not get broken even once.

The World No. 1 struck 33 winners to Sandgren's 25 and coughed up six fewer errors as well.

Novak Djokovic's next opponent, Pablo Cuevas, defeated home favorite Lucas Pouille in his first-round match. The Uruguayan won 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the second round at Roland Garros for the ninth time in his career. Cuevas, however, is yet to make it to the second week in Paris in 13 previous attempts.

Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Cuevas

The 35-year-old was dominant on serve against Pouille and struck 10 aces. He also won more than 70% of the points on first and second serves and got broken just once.

Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Cuevas head-to-head

Novak Djokovic and Pablo Cuevas have surprisingly never faced each other despite spending 15 years on the tour together. Their head-to-head stands at 0-0.

Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Cuevas prediction

This promises to be an exciting encounter given the range of strokes both players possess. Cuevas has a poor record in Paris but he is no slouch on clay. The veteran has victories over Rafael Nadal (2016 Rio), Dominic Thiem (2015 Roland Garros), and Alexander Zverev (2017 Madrid) on this surface.

The 35-year-old uses his kick serve to great effect to push his opponent off the court. He can also generate sharp angles with his one-handed backhand. However, Djokovic is among the best movers on the men's tour and should have no trouble engaging in baseline rallies with Cuevas.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in four sets.


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Edited by Arvind Sriram
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