Top seed Novak Djokovic is set to make his Geneva debut against Yannik Hanfmann in the second round of the ATP 250 tournament this Wednesday.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion unexpectedly accepted a wild card for the tournament, looking to build momentum on clay before defending his title at Roland-Garros next week. Can he do so? Read on for our Djokovic vs Hanfmann prediction and betting tips.
Djokovic has had a tough start to the 2024 season, surprisingly not winning any titles yet. He began the year at the Australian Open but was defeated in the semi-finals by Jannik Sinner, who went on to win the tournament. Since then, he’s looked patchy at best, losing early in Indian Wells and Rome and making the quarter-finals of Monte-Carlo.
Hanfmann hasn’t had the best season either, though he’s admittedly not held to quite the same standard. The German has only won back-to-back matches twice in 2024, with an overall record of 9-13 on the year. However, beware, as Hanfmann has pulled off upsets before in his career.
How the Bookies View it: Djokovic the Favourite
Bookmaker bet365 is heavily favouring Djokovic in this matchup, making him the absolute favourite pick with a 1/14 win. Hanfmann, despite his majestic performance in the first round, is sitting at an 8/1 win. Set betting suggests a 2-0 win for Djokovic with this result paying 1/3.
Recent Head-to-Head: Advantage Djokovic
Djokovic and Hanfmann haven’t faced each other on the main tour before. The Serbian legend and world No 85 are set to clash for the first time at the Geneva Open.
Anything Else Catch the Eye?
A bizarre incident threw Djokovic off his game in Rome last week. The world No 1 was struck in the head by a fan’s water bottle – on accident – when signing autographs after his opening match. The Serb said that he felt off-balance and uncoordinated in his loss to Alejandro Tabilo.
Scans showed no sign of concussion, so it will be interesting to see how Djokovic shows up physically in this match.
Hanfmann may only have a career-high of No 45 in the world, but he’s taken some big scalps in his time. The German upset world No 19 Nicolas Jarry earlier this year in Rio de Janeiro, and Sebastian Korda on the hard courts of Adelaide. Last year, he dispatched Stefanos Tsitsipas in Mallorca, as well as Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz in Rome.
Djokovic vs Hanfmann Betting Tips and Predictions
Novak Djokovic has had a challenging season, and is coming into this time of the year far more vulnerable than usual. While defeating Djokovic feels unlikely for Hanfmann, a dropped set wouldn’t be the most preposterous result either. With value of 3/1, back the German to take this one the distance.
- Djokovic to win @ 1/14
- Djokovic to win 2-1 @ 3/1
Djokovic and Hanfmann will play fourth on the Center Court at the Geneva Open on Tuesday, not before 6pm local time.