ATP Cup 2021 Prediction: Lajovic vs Struff | Djokovic vs Zverev

Another star-studded clash awaits as defending champion, Serbia lock horns against Germany in the ATP Cup. The winner of this match will book their spot in the semifinals and face Russia. 

Serbia began their title defense on a good note beating Canada 2-1 in their opening match. 

Both the teams were tied 1-1 after the two singles match. Though Canada put their best players in Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov for the deciding doubles encounter, they lost in straight sets to Novak Djokovic and Filip Krajinovic.

*Germany won 2-1 against Canada in their first match.

1) Dusan Lajovic vs Jan Lennard Struff

Lajovic lost 6-3 6-4 against Raonic. The Serb struggled against the big-serving Canadian. He did not get even a single breakpoint throughout the match.

Struff edged past Raonic 7-6 7-6.

 He won 78% of points on his first serve and raised the level of his game in both the tiebreakers.

“I knew that playing against Milos would be very tough, he is serving so well, he has won so many tournaments and he is such a good champion, in our three meetings, I beat him once before, so I knew I would have to play a good match, and I am very pleased with the way I played," said Struff quite satisfied with his performance against Raonic. 

Hot Stats

a) Lajovic has a 4-3 win-loss in singles matches in the ATP Cup while Struff has a 3-1 record. 

b) Struff leads the head to head record 1-0 against Lajovic.

Prediction - Jan Lennard Struff to win in 3 sets

2) Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev

Novak Djokovic once again got the better of Shapovalov defeating him 7-5 7-5. The Serb won an impressive 88% of points on his second serve. The Serb has not yet lost a match in the ATP Cup (10-0 in singles and doubles) indicating the stranglehold he has in this tournament. 

Zverev beat Shapovalov 6-7 6-3 7-6 in 2 hours and 55 minutes. 

The German's big serve and reliable backhand can unsettle Djokovic. However, Zverev must reduce his count of double faults.

"Everything, winning a team event, winning something for your country, it is one of the biggest things in our sport, so we want to go match by match, tomorrow we got the defending champions, that is not going to be easy for us," opined Zverev highlighting the importance of the crucial clash. 

Germany crashed out in the group stage last year with Sascha losing all his matches. But this time, they have a great chance to make it to the semis. 

Djokovic leads the head to head record 4-2 against Zverev.

Prediction - Novak Djokovic to win in three sets against Zverev.

3 - The doubles combination has not yet been decided by both teams. Serbia may field Djokovic/ Krajinovic in case the match is a decider. Or else, they will go for Nikola Cacic/Krajinovic. The grand slam winning pair of Andreas Mies and Kevin Krawietz will represent Germany.

So, whom are you rooting for, Serbia or Germany, do let us know in the comments below

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