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ATP Cup: Dennis Novak (Team Austria) vs Fabio Fognini (Team Italy) Tennis Prediction

ATP Cup: Dennis Novak (Team Austria) vs Fabio Fognini (Team Italy) Tennis Prediction
2021-02-02 00:00:00 EDT

Dennis Novak of Austria faces Italian Fabio Fognini in the first match (#2 singles) of the ATP Cup 2021 tie between Austria and Italy. The match will be played on Tuesday February 2nd, 2021 at 10:00am local time. Fognini won the only matchup between the pair, but it was 6 years ago in Kitzbuhel. Can Novak settle the score?

Dennis Novak has been Austria’s number 2 for quite some time now and has had a solid career to date. Currently ranked #99, he splits his time between the ATP and Challenger tours with some recent success. He made it to the Quarter-Finals at the Cologne Open last year and is one of those players that is very talented but has struggled mentally during matches. He tends to run very “hot and cold” but definitely has potential to cause an upset here with his big game. 

Fabio Fognini is a very accomplished player who has been in the top 20 of the rankings for quite some time. There are not many players as talented as the Italian, but like his opponent it is difficult to know what to expect on any given day. In Fognini’s case however the upside is much greater as evidenced by his multiple ATP titles and top 10 wins. He came off a very disappointing year in 2020 and will no doubt be eager to bounce back and it is more likely that he will give his best effort and be motivated in a team setting. Italy has one of the stronger teams in the competition and he will be expected to be a key leader as their number 1 player Berrettini is still quite young. He has one of the best return games on tour and it will take a big performance from the Austrian to get the win here. 

While this match seems straightforward on paper it is always difficult to know what frame of mind Fognini is in. He is just as likely to beat a top 5 player as he is to suffer a meltdown and lose to a much lower ranked player. However I do believe that with his team behind him he will be more likely to be focused and if that happens he should win this match relatively comfortably. It is also likely that Italy will lose the #1 match to Dominic Thiem so Italy will be extra motivated to get on the board early here. Fabio Fognini to win.  

Andy T's Free Pick: Fabio Fognini to win

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Andy T

Andy is a former player and huge tennis fan. He has a wealth of experience on the tennis circuit and uses it to make the best picks available.

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