Adrian Mannarino has already been through some tense situations to make the fourth round at Wimbledon, but it will be a whole new sort of challenges when he faces Novak Djokovic. Join The Roar for live scores from around 9:00pm (AEST).
Djokovic has had a terrible time in 2017 by his usual lofty standards. Of course, some players would still love to swap seasons with him, but for the former world No.1, he needs a strong effort at Wimbledon or he could risk dropping further.
Winning Eastbourne, he seemed to be coming back into form and has confirmed that to be the case with three easy victories so far at Wimbledon.
The first of those saw Martin Klizan retire against him, but straight-set wins against Adam Pavlasek and Ernests Gulbis were both strong efforts.
While you can only play what’s in front of you, Djokovic does still have a case to push given his highest profile scalp on grass, including at Eastbourne is entertaining Frenchman Gael Monfils.
Mannarino, the 29-year-old Frenchman has already gotten out of some tense spots throughout Wimbledon and will be looking to use that fight again against one of the best defensive players on tour.
The veteran is a strong player on grass and enjoys the surface, but he has lacked consistency from set to set throughout Wimbledon.
After a rough build-up, he got out of the first round as Feliciano Lopez retired against him, before struggling to dispatch of the inferior Yuichi Sugita in the second round. Despite struggling through the first four sets, he turned on the fireworks in the fifth, taking it 6-2.
Exactly the same result followed against Monfils – four sets of inconsistency followed by a 6-2 final that saw him advance to the fourth round.
If he can continue to stand up when it matters, there is no reason the Frenchman can’t push ‘The Djoker’ the distance.
Their only previous match came during Wimbledon last year when Djokovic knocked out the Frenchman in straight sets. The winner of this match will go on to play either Dominic Thiem or Thomas Berdych.
Prediction
Djokovic has surprised many with his good form at Wimbledon so far, but at the same time we wait with baited breath for an impending collapse. It probably won’t come here against the world No.51, but at the same time, if Mannarino’s serve fires and he takes the first set, the match could go anywhere.
Djokovic in five sets.
This match was rescheduled after the epic Rafael Nadal versus Gilles Muller five-setter.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of this fourth round match from around 9:00pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment below.
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