Novak Djokovic will take on Borna Coric in his opening match of the Mutua Madrid Open. The pair will take to Manolo Santana for their second round encounter as the third match on the center stage. The match will begin not before 10:00 am ET on Wednesday, May 4th. 

First round results

The world number one was given the luxury of a first round bye, which put him automatically into the second round. But with his latest performance on the clay courts, he may have wanted a chance to get comfortable before having to play the young and talented Borna Coric. Djokovic has yet to play a match in nearly a month since his upset loss to Jiri Vesley in Monte Carlo.

Borna Coric took on last week's champion in Estoril, Nicolas Almagro, in the first round. The Croat grabbed the first round win in comfortable style, 6-2, 6-2 in an hour and two minutes. Coric bested the wildcard in every statistic in a one-sided victory where Almagro struggled to continue his momentum from last week. Coric dominated all aspects of the matchup, but most notably he dropped just six total points on serve. The strong win for the teenager set up a matchup against the world number one, where Coric will fight with his heart and soul as he looks for the massive upset.

Borna Coric at the Miami Open. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Borna Coric at the Miami Open. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

First career meeting

The players have never taken the court against one another in the past. On Wednesday, Djokovic and Coric will go head-to-head in a must watch first-time encounter with the winner getting a spot in the third round on the divine clay of the Spanish capital.

Although the two have never faced each other on the tennis court, they have both spoken out about one another where the young Croatian claimed that he plays and moves like Djokovic in his press conference in Chennai. The world number one stated that he believes Coric is one of the best players at the moment in an interview earlier this year. The enticing battle will display the brilliant shot making from both competitors, and will possibly brew a potential future rivalry.

Novak Djokovic at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Analysis

The top seed must put his recent disappointment behind him as he heads into his opening match for his Mutua Madrid Open campaign. The serve is always a crucial aspect of the Djokovic game, because he is bound to find opportunities on return considering he is arguably the best returner of all time.

Movement is always an important part of tennis, but even more so on the gritty and slick clay court surface. The Serbian's legs and footwork have powered him through tough challenges in the past, and will be one of the ultimate factors in the outcome of his second round match. Djokovic will also need to utilize his exquisite backhand down the line and deep forehand cross court to keep the ball away from Coric's favorite stroke; his two-handed backhand.

The 19-year-old's weakness is his lack of depth on the ball which will allow the top seed to take advantage of the opportunity of stepping into the court. Coric will need to hold comfortably if he sees himself in the third round. Also, the Croat must add more spin or racquet head speed to keep the ball deeper in the court or Djokovic will make easy work of the teen. Coric will need the tennis of his life for any chance to overcome the dominant top-ranked player.

Novak Djokovic at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Final thoughts

The experience and consistency will prove to be too much to handle for one of the next generation's stars. The Serbian will maneuver the Croat off the court with his precise shot-placement and waste no time taking advantage of any ball that fail to reach beyond the service line. Djokovic will control his own destiny in his second round encounter with his experience, confidence, and dominance playing the key roles in his past winning ways.

Prediction: Djokovic in two tight sets
 

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Brooks Giardina
Brooks Giardina is a 15-year-old who has a major tennis addiction. When he is not on the tennis court, he is paying his attention to the ATP and WTA tours as an active fan and writer.