10SBALLS SHARES RICKY’S PREVIEW AND PICKS FOR SUNDAY IN LONDON: DJOKOVIC VS. THIEM AND MONFILS VS. RAONIC

Written by: Staff on 12th November 2016

10SBALLS SHARES RICKY'S PREVIEW AND PICKS FOR SUNDAY IN LONDON: DJOKOVIC VS. THIEM AND MONFILS VS. RAONIC |

Photo by Francisco Resendiz

By Ricky Dimon

The first day of action at the 2016 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will feature Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Milos Raonic, and Gael Monfils. Thus begins Djokovic’s bid to regain the No. 1 ranking in the world and finish the year on top. Not too much unlike the Serb, Thiem, Raonic, and Monfils all head into London with serious questions.

Ricky previews the action and makes his predictions.

(2) Novak Djokovic vs. (8) Dominic Thiem

Djokovic and Thiem will get the World Tour Finals started on Sunday afternoon. The head-to-head series stands at 3-0 in favor of Djokovic, including 2-0 on hard courts. Although the 7-0 overall set score for Djokovic indicates complete dominance, they at least waged one competitive battle in round four of this year’s Miami Masters. Djokovic prevailed 6-3, 6-4, but Thiem generated 15 break-point opportunities (converted only one) in a match that lasted one hour and 50 minutes. They most recently faced each other in the semis of the French Open, with Djokovic coasting 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

Thiem’s semifinal run at the French is a big reason why he is making his debut in the year-end championship. The Austrian has also won four ATP titles this season to go along with a quarterfinal showing at the Cincinnati Masters. For the most part, however, Thiem has been an energy-lacking disaster since Roland Garros. He is a mere 9-10 in his last 19 matches dating back to Wimbledon, and 47 of his 57 match wins in 2016 came prior to his arrival at the All-England Club.

Similarly, Djokovic has slumped since the French Open–which he won for the first time to complete the career Grand Slam. The current world No. 2 succumbed to Sam Querrey in the Wimbledon third round and it has been downhill ever since. Djokovic, who has been struggling in both the physical and mental departments, is coming off a semifinal setback against Roberto Bautista Agut in Shanghai and a quarterfinal setback against Marin Cilic in Paris. If anything can cure whatever has ailed Djokovic, however, it is the World Tour Finals. He has won this tournament on four consecutive occasions and is 23-6 lifetime at the O2 (27-10 overall at the year-end championship).

Pick: Djokovic in 2

Photo by Francisco Resendiz

(4) Milos Raonic vs. (6) Gael Monfils

It will be a battle between the walking wounded when Raonic and Monfils collide on Sunday night. Monfils leads the head-to-head series 3-2, but Raonic has won two of their three encounters this season. The Canadian prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and 7-5, 6-3 in Indian Wells before Monfils got the job done 6-4, 6-4 this summer in Toronto. Their only previous indoor shown came back in 2011, when the Frenchman scored a 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3 victory in Stockholm.

Late last week it looked like Raonic would not even show up in London. The world No. 4 suffered a quadriceps injury during a Paris quarterfinal victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and he was forced to give Andy Murray a walkover the next day. Raonic said he was “doubtful” for London but earlier this week he assured he was “ready to go.” The Wimbledon runner-up is 50-15 this season with a title in Brisbane and additional final appearances in Indian Wells and at Queen’s Club.

A no-nonsense Monfils captured the biggest title of his career in Washington, D.C. and parlayed that success into semifinal finishes in Toronto and at the U.S. Open to go along with a quarterfinal showing at the Rio Olympics. The world No. 6 has cooled off significantly this fall and, like Raonic, is a major question mark for London because he did not play the Paris Masters as a result of a rib injury.

Pick: Monfils in 3