Novak Djokovic will meet Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Quarter-Finals of the 2022 Italian Open in Rome. The match will be played on Friday, May 13th, 2022.
World number one and top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia will do battle against the exciting young Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime for a spot in the Semi-Finals here at the Italian Open. Both men will be eager to put in a strong performance here as they fine-tune their preparations for Roland Garros. Can Auger-Aliassime produce the massive upset? Or will Djokovic advance as expected?
Novak Djokovic has had a very frustrating 2022 campaign to say the least, as he remains barred from certain tournaments due to his vaccination status. He has been extremely inconsistent over the past few months with some very surprising losses included, but has seemingly found form in recent weeks. A strong showing last week in Madrid where he lost to the impressive Carlos Alcaraz in the Semis has translated well here, defeating Karatsev and Wawrinka without dropping a set. He is always the favorite whenever he plays against someone not named Rafael Nadal, and on paper he should not have much trouble against Auger-Aliassime, who has never really troubled him in the past. However, he will have to be at his best here, as the Canadian looks in good form, and is capable of blowing anyone off the court when things are clicking for him. Make no mistake, the world number one is heavily favored here for good reason, and once he plays his counter-punching best, most will expect him to move on.
Felix Auger-Aliassime has long been touted as a top prospect but has finally begun to make his mark on the ATP Tour. After finally claiming his long-awaited first title in Rotterdam he has established himself as a member of the top 10, and the next step is challenging for big titles. He has had a solid season so far, but has been maddeningly inconsistent at times. When he is in form he is capable of beating anyone in the world with his big serve and massive groundstrokes and if everything clicks for him tomorrow he will be backing himself to put up a fight. Unfortunately for him, his opponent Novak Djokovic is finally rounding into form and plays exactly the type of consistent game to frustrate the young Canadian. Auger-Aliassime is the heavy underdog here, but don’t be surprised if he keeps it close for a while.
A few weeks ago the outcome of this match could have been much different, but the world number one is back to his dominant best and is not likely to drop his guard this close to a Grand Slam tournament. He seems focused as ever, and everyone knows how incredibly difficult he is to defeat when he is confident. Felix Auger-Aliassime has looked outstanding this week but it is doubtful that he will have what it takes to overcome the Serbian legend. Djokovic will advance here in two high-quality sets, moving on to his second consecutive Semi-Final at an ATP-1000 event.