ATP Cup 2021: Denis Shapovalov (Team Canada) vs. Novak Djokovic (Team Serbia) Tennis Prediction

World number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia faces Canadian #1 Denis Shapovalov during the ATP Cup tie between Serbia and Canada. The match will take place on Tuesday February 2nd, 2021 and will be the second match of the tie after Lajovic vs Raonic. Serbia are the defending champions and will be looking to repeat, can Canada get the win and start their campaign off with a bang?

Novak Djokovic simply needs no introduction. He is one of the best players in history and starts the match as the favorite almost every time he plays. He had a strong 2020 season, winning 4 titles (including the Australian Open) and maintained his grip on the world number one ranking. As always he brings huge intensity to the table, and will be looking to wear Shapovalov down using his world-class defense and counter-punching ability. He knows he will not have it easy against an emerging star who is capable of some very good tennis on his day but he will be confident of getting the victory. 

Denis Shapovalov is the captain of the Canadian team at this year’s ATP Cup and is coming in on the back of a breakthrough 2020 season where he finally managed to put everything together and truly announce himself on the world stage. He has been on the verge or stardom for some time now but had an outstanding season and cemented his place in the top 10 of the rankings. He is one of the most talented players on tour and will be looking to take it a step further in 2021. He has a huge game with a powerful lefty serve and groundstrokes. He is able to dominate even the best players from the baseline and if he can keep his emotions in check can truly be a handful on these hard courts. He knows he enters this match as the underdog but will be very confident after such a strong season. 

This match really should come down to who has better prepared during the break and the smart money is on Djokovic. He is always meticulous in his preparation and you can bet that he was very busy keeping in shape over the past month. He traditionally has strong starts to the year and has always done very well in Australia. Novak Djokovic to win.