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Novak Djokovic vs Flavio Cobolli: ATP Shanghai – Round of 16

Former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will take on Flavio Cobolli in the round of 16 of the ATP Shanghai.

Novak Djokovic Profile

Novak Djokovic, the player who has spent the most weeks as world No. 1, is currently fourth in the rankings. The Serbian is 33-8 for the season and 11-4 on a hard surface for the season.

Djokovic is coming off a 7-6, 7-6 win over Alex Michelsen in the second round.

Djokovic won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics and lost in the final of Wimbledon this season.

He has won the title in Shanghai four times, with the last one coming in 2018.

Flavio Cobolli Profile

Flavio Cobolli is having the highest ranking of his career being 30th in the world. The Italian is 43-27 for the season and 26-12 on hard surface.

He is coming off a 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 win over Stan Wawrinka in the second round.

Cobolli’s best result this season was reaching the final in Washington where he lost to Sebastian Korda.

This is his first appearance in Shanghai.

Head-to-Head

This will be the first match between Novak Djokovic and Flavio Cobolli.

Prediction and Conclusion

Novak Djokovic is back in action for the first time since the US Open if we do not count the Davis Cup match in which he lost only one game. The Serbian played pretty well against Michelsen and now he will face another rising star. Cobolli barely went past another veteran Stan Wawrinka and things will be even more difficult against the former number 1. It is clear that Djokovic has reduced the number of tournaments he plays and since he is here, he is here to win. He has done so four times in Shanghai already, and Cobolli is not capable of stopping him on his way to the fifth title here. Djokovic will try to spend the least time on the court and will win this one by covering the -3.5-game spread.