Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune Pick – Tennis Predictions & Odds 5/17/23

Novak Djokovic will meet Holger Rune in the Quarter-Finals of the 2023 Italian Open. The match will be played on Wednesday May 17th, 2023.

Novak Djokovic is the top seed and defending champion here at the 2023 Italian Open in Rome. Although he will lose his top ranking to Carlos Alcaraz next week, he is still the favorite to win the title here and is gearing up for a run at the French Open title. He has looked comfortable here so far, reaching the Quarters here for a record 17th time by defeating Cameron Norrie in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Breaking serve early in both sets, Djokovic controlled the match from the baseline and will look to do the same against the talented youngster Holger Rune.

Holger Rune is the 7th seed here at the Italian Open and is the 7th ranked player in the world. The young Dane has set the world alight over the past couple seasons, bursting onto the scene and entering the top 10 with some outstanding performances. After looking comfortable early on in the tournament, he was surprisingly pushed to three sets by Alexei Popyrin in the Round of 16. The Aussie is no slouch but Rune has been one of the best players on this surface over the past year, and it was a disappointing performance by him, and rather wasteful. He will have to be much improved if he is going to have a chance here against the defending champion, Novak Djokovic.

This should be a thrilling match between two great players, but I am siding with the legend that is Novak Djokovic here. The Serb always raises his game deep in tournaments, and he will want this one badly as he prepares for Roland Garros where he will likely be the betting favorite. Holger Rune has tremendous upside and has the potential to win here for sure. but Djokovic is probably the most reliable player that we have ever seen and he will find a way to win here, moving on to the Semi-Finals of the 2023 Italian Open in two tough sets, possibly three.