Serbia Open 2022: Novak Djokovic vs Karen Khachanov preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs (3) Karen Khachanov

Date: 23 April 2022

Tournament: Serbia Open 2022

Round: Semifinal

Venue: Novak Tennis Center

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Outdoor clay

Prize money: €534,555

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Discovery

Novak Djokovic vs Karen Khachnov preview

Novak Djokovic at the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will take on third seed Karen Khachanov in the semifinals of the 2022 Serbia Open on Saturday.

Djokovic seems to be playing himself back into form after his time away from the sport. His comeback at the Monte-Carlo Masters ended in the second round, but he's found his feet at the Serbia Open.

He looked down and out against Laslo Djere in the second round as he trailed by a set and a break. But the 20-time Major champion found a way to turn things around and won in three sets.

Djokovic then took on Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarterfinals. The young Serb has been in sensational form over the past few weeks and took the challenge to the World No. 1, who once again found himself down a set and a break.

But being on the backfoot often brings out the best in Djokovic, and he demonstrated that perfectly in the quarterfinals. After going down a break in the second set, he immediately broke back and didn't face another break point for the rest of the match. He eventually won 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach his first semifinal of the season.

Karen Khachanov started his clay season with a tough three-set loss to Diego Schwartzman in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters. It marked his third consecutive first-round loss.

At the Serbia Open, he received a bye into the second round. Roman Safiullin then withdrew prior to their second-round clash, giving the Russian a walkover into the quarterfinals.

Khachanov took on Thiago Monteiro in the last eight. The match was fairly competitive, but the Russian remained in control of proceedings, winning 7-5, 6-4 to reach his third semifinal of the season.

Novak Djokovic vs Karen Khachanov head-to-head

Djokovic has dominated the head-to-head so far, compiling a 5-1 lead. He won their most recent encounter 6-3, 7-6(2) in the second round of the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships.

Novak Djokovic vs Karen Khachanov odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Sets
Novak Djokovic	-350	+1.5 (-900)	2 Sets (-250)
Karen Khachanov	+240	-1.5 (+450)	3 Sets (+165)

All odds are sourced from BetMGM.

Novak Djokovic vs Karen Khachanov prediction

Djokovic seems to have rediscovered his mojo. The Serb has won his last four matches against Khachanov and will certainly fancy his chances of making it five in a row.

Djokovic's movement has improved significantly over the course of the week. While he looked a bit labored and sluggish early on, he covered the court quite well in the quarterfinals.

Khachanov served well in his last match, hitting seven aces and winning 80% of his first-serve points. He'll need to put up similar or even better numbers against Djokovic.

The Serb is an excellent returner and if Khachanov falters on serve, it could put him on the backfoot early on. The Russian cannot afford to stay glued to the back of the court either, as getting into lengthy baseline exchanges with the World No. 1 isn't going to work in his favor.

With a couple of wins under his belt and his confidence improving with every match, Djokovic will take some stopping now.

Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for four years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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Edited by Nihal Taraporvala