Novak Djokovic vs Sebastian Korda Prediction & Betting Tips - Adelaide International

Prediction published on 07/01/2023, 13:17  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 07/01/2023 at 18:30 in Tennis Predictions

Novak Djokovic bids to make it six wins in eight tournaments. He takes on unseeded Sebastian Korda in the final of the first of two Adelaide International tournaments being held this month. Djokovic is the top seed for this tournament and after the withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz is destined to be seeded fourth in the upcoming Australian Open. The problems he had that prevented him playing in Australia last year have been resolved, though he has still got some difficulties in the US. This tournament has seen Djokovic reach the final without dropping a set. He defeated seventh seeded Denis Shapovalov in the quarter finals and the third seed Daniil Medvedev in the last four. His toughest match was in the second round where he needed two tie-breaks to get past qualifier Quentin Halys. Djokovic does tend to improve as a tournament progresses and it's hard to see him not winning this title.

Sebastian Korda began this tournament ranked 33rd in the world but in the live rankings is up to 31st so a seeding at the Australian Open looks very likely now. If he can beat Djokovic to win the Adelaide International, he'll move up to 28th. The American reached two finals last year, the most recent being the European Open in October when being beaten by Felix Auger-Aliassime. He's only won one ATP Tour Final and that was on clay in Italy two years ago. This week has seen him get his 2023 off to a strong start with wins over Andy Murray, Roberto Bautista Agut, sixth seeded Jannik Sinner and in the semi-finals, Yoshihita Nishioka. Korda has also got to this final without losing a set. His semi-final saw him win the first set on a tie-break and then his opponent retired after losing the first game of the second set. This is his first match against Djokovic.