Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov will face off in the final of the Rolex Paris Masters on Sunday. Djokovic, with his wealth of experience in managing his form, is no stranger to reaching the final of this tournament. However, for Dimitrov, this is only his second Masters 1000 final, six years after his last one in Cincinnati. Despite being in good form, Dimitrov was not expected to make it this far in the tournament.
The main question surrounding Djokovic was his ability to quickly find his rhythm after not competing for a month and a half. To help with this, he had also entered the doubles competition with his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic, but Kecmanovic withdrew before their second match. However, Djokovic faced another challenge during the week—a gastric virus. In the round of 16 against Tallon Griekspoor, the world number one was on the edge, almost facing defeat in straight sets before mentally pulling through.
What is remarkable about Djokovic is his ability to always find solutions and choose moments to increase his intensity when he cannot maintain it throughout the entire match. Despite facing challenges from Holger Rune and Andrey Rublev, he always managed to come out on top when necessary. This shows his superiority over his competitors, even when not at 100%. However, his biggest challenge awaits him in the final against an opponent in great confidence.
Dimitrov has been playing excellent tennis throughout the week, showing consistency and mental strength. He defeated two members of the Top 10, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, with his brilliant shot-making ability. While Dimitrov’s impressive performances are no longer surprising, his mental resilience has been admirable. He remained focused and undeterred throughout his matches, sticking to his game plan from start to finish. The question now is whether he can maintain his composure against the circuit’s top player.
In their head-to-head matchups, Djokovic has a clear advantage, with 11 wins compared to Dimitrov’s single victory, which came ten years ago on clay in Madrid. They have only met twice on indoor hard courts at Bercy, both resulting in victories for Djokovic. Despite this, Dimitrov will look to draw inspiration from previous underdogs who reached the final of the Rolex Paris Masters.
Both players have put in considerable effort this week, with Djokovic having to dig deep within himself due to his illness and Dimitrov playing three-set matches on multiple occasions. Djokovic has spent a total of 10 hours on court in singles matches, while Dimitrov has accumulated 10 hours and 29 minutes. While their playing times are similar, the question remains: who has more reserves left? Djokovic appears invincible, but will have slightly less time to recover, which could be a crucial factor in the final.
Novak Djokovic will enter the final as the clear favorite due to his experience, recent success, and dominance over Dimitrov in previous matchups. However, Dimitrov has shown great form and consistency throughout the tournament. He seems to be in control of his game like never before, displaying tactical prowess and variations in his backhand slice. Mentally transformed, Dimitrov has proven his ability to compete against experienced opponents. However, defeating the Serbian monster is a different challenge altogether. Djokovic knows how to tighten his game when needed and does not allow any weaknesses. Dimitrov will need to reach perfection to come out on top.
