Novak Djokovic vs Hubert Hurkacz Pick – Tennis Predictions & Odds 3/2/23

Novak Djokovic will meet Hubert Hurkacz in the Quarter-Finals of the 2023 Dubai Championships. The match will be played on Thursday March 3rd, 2023.

World number one Novak Djokovic will do battle against Hubert Hurkacz in a match that is sure to be hugely exciting. The Serbian legend recently reclaimed his top ranking from Carlos Alcaraz by winning the Australian Open, and broke the record for most weeks at number one. He is the big favorite to lift the trophy here at the Dubai Championships but has not looked great so far, being tested by Machac and Griekspoor this week. We are still speaking about arguably the greatest player in history however, so it would be crazy to consider him anything other than the overwhelming favorite.

Hubert Hurkacz is the 5th seed here at the Duba Championships and is ranked 11th in the world. The Polish #1 is one of the best in the world on this surface and he has looked the part this week, defeating Pavel Kotov 7-6, 6-1 in his opening match. Serving incredibly well, he won all but 3 points on his first serve, not facing a break point in the entire match. He will have to serve similarly as well or better against Novak Djokovic if he is to come through this encounter.

This is looking like a blockbuster clash, and both men have a good chance of winning here. On a good day, Hubert Hurkacz has the firepower to hit through anyone, and can dominate with his serve. However, Novak Djokovic is the best returner of all time and should be able to nullify that threat to an extent. He isn’t looking his best, but the only time I have ever gone against Novak is at Roland Garros against Rafael Nadal. Djokovic in three sets is my pick.