How exciting does the underdog make the match?
On paper, of course, the matter is crystal clear when it comes to an all-Serbian duel between underdog Laslo Djere and superstar Novak Djokovic in the third round of the US Open 2023. In their last meeting, however, the supposed underdog was in control for a long time and lost most unhappily with 1:2. Accordingly, it is interesting to bet on an exciting and perhaps even open match between Laslo Djere and Novak Djokovic.
The bottom line is that the Djoker should once again win the match. However, it’s not that far-fetched that his compatriot could entangle him in further tiebreaks or perhaps even take a set from him. It is therefore very consistent to predict that Laslo Djere will win at least ten games against Novak Djokovic.
Finally, Laslo Djere has also put a strong tournament on the floor so far. The 28-year-old, who had won just one of his six singles matches prior to this year’s US Open at Flushing Meadows, advanced to the third main draw with two highly commanding 3-0 victories, as did his big-name compatriot. Moreover, both Serbs started from the seeded list.
Should Novak Djokovic win as expected, he would meet either Borna Gojo or Jiri Vesely in the round of 16.
Laslo Djere – statistics & current form
Current position in the world ranking: 38
Position in the seedings: 32
Serbia’s Laslo Djere, 28, just barely claimed the 32nd and final spot on the seedings list. In his sixth start in the main draw of the US Open, he used it to avoid the absolute top stars of the ATP Tour for two rounds.
The result was promptly his best ever run at Flushing Meadows. After previously winning just one of his first six singles matches at the hard-court Grand Slam in New York City, the man from Senta, Vojvodina Province, celebrated two commanding 3-0 victories this year.
Won 30 of 50 singles matches in 2023
In total, the Serbian was also able to polish up his overall record in 2023. With the two wins at the US Open, Djere now stands at 30 wins from 50 completed singles matches in the new year.
However, the 28-year-old has not yet been able to improve his poor win rate against top-10 players. He has faced opponents from the current Top 10 six times in 2023. He has only won one of these six matches. In total, he has three wins from 20 matches against top-10 players in his career.
83% points won on first serve
The odds are now against Laslo Djere against Novak Djokovic, and the player from Senta will be looking for another win against his prominent compatriot, even though he came close to a sensation in Belgrade a year ago.
Nevertheless, Djere will certainly be looking for his chance. After all, he recently impressed with an almost flawless 3-0 victory over Hugo Gaston (ATP 99), in which he surrendered just six games, failed to win only one service game and won 83% of his first serve points.
Novak Djokovic – statistics & current form
Current position in the world ranking: 2
Position in the seedings: 2
The 36-year-old Serb Novak Djokovic is increasingly reaching for the stars again this year. Having already won the Australian Open and the French Open, he also reached the final at the Wimbledon Championships, where he was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz.
Now the Djoker wants to attack again at the US Open, which he missed a year ago. However, Nole has also celebrated three overall victories at the important hard-court Grand Slam tournament in the United States of America (2011, 2015 and 2018).
Won 40 of 45 singles matches in 2023
The year’s balance is clearly in favor of the world number two, who has won 40 of his 45 singles matches in 2023 and just tanked maximum confidence in his only preparatory tournament for the US Open.
At the Western & Southern Open, he advanced to the final after 2-0 wins over Taylor Fritz and Alexander Zverev, among others, where he held on to beat Carlos Alcaraz 2-1 in an epic 38-game final. Even now, from the point of view of virtually all fans, the duel between the Spaniard and the Djoker is the dream final of Flushing Meadows.
All break points fended off in the second round
Although the betting odds are now clearly in favor of the 36-year-old in Laslo Djere against Novak Djokovic, it is still a long way to the final for the superstar, who has not let anything go to waste so far. Nole gave up just five games in the first round against Alexandre Müller. The last six were 3:0 (6:4, 6:1 and 6:1) against Bernabé Zapata Miralles.
The Djoker offered something here and there and gave his Spanish challenger six chances to break in the second round. But with his usual nerves of steel, the Serb fended off all six break points, which was half the battle for an easy passage into the third round.
Laslo Djere – Novak Djokovic Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Head to head: 0:1
Only once have the two countrymen faced each other in a direct duel. In the round of 16 of the Serbia Open in Belgrade, Laslo Djere took a somewhat surprising 1-0 lead against the Djoker, who then turned the match around by winning two sets in a tiebreak and narrowly won 2-1 (2-6, 7-6 and 7-6).
Laslo Djere – Novak Djokovic Tip
In all clarity, the odds are swinging in the direction of the Djoker in Laslo Djere vs. Novak Djokovic, who, however, struggled in his only duel with his compatriot so far, initially trailing 0:1 in sets and then only celebrating the 2-1 victory by winning two sets in a tiebreak. Meanwhile, the supposed underdog also moved into the third round with two straight 3-0 wins and brings some momentum with him.
Accordingly, with Laslo Djere against Novak Djokovic, our prediction is for a match that could well go to some length. Another Djoker win in a hurry is rather unlikely, although 3-0 is of course not out of the question. Nevertheless, we believe that Djere will win at least ten games.
