The Miami Open men\u2019s singles draw gets underway on Wednesday \u2013 and a new champion could be crowned in Florida.<\/p>\n
With defending champion and world No 1 Jannik Sinner currently serving his suspension, several of the ATP\u2019s leading stars will look to take advantage.<\/p>\n
Here, we assess the key storylines that could emerge \u2013 and predict how some of the big names will fare.<\/p>\n
Novak Djokovic<\/a> holds a joint-record six Miami Open men\u2019s singles title, though hasn\u2019t won the title since 2016 \u2013 and has not played the event since 2019.<\/p>\n Now, the 37-year-old returns to Florida having lost his last three matches \u2013 his worst run since 2018 \u2013 and off the back of a poor performance in his Indian Wells loss to Botic van de Zandschulp.<\/p>\n Unfortunately for the Serbian, the draw gods have not been too kind to him.<\/p>\n Djokovic could face compatriot and rising star Hamad Medjedovic in his opening match, before a tough third-round test against 32nd seed Alex Michelsen.<\/p>\n That could be followed by a hypothetical round-four tie against Lorenzo Musetti or Felix Auger Aliassime, and a quarter-final against seventh seed Daniil Medvedev.<\/p>\n With Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas among the other stars on the bottom half of the draw, a much-needed run for Djokovic feels unlikely in his current form.<\/p>\n Alcaraz\u2019s<\/a> 16-match winning streak in Indian Wells ended in a dramatic semi-final loss to Jack Draper in which the Spaniard was far from his best.<\/p>\n However, while not as successful as an event for him as Indian Wells, the Spaniard has played well at the event previously \u2013 winning his first Masters 1000 title here in 2022.<\/p>\n The Spaniard will be determined to write the wrong of his Indian Wells defeat and his path early on looks manageable.<\/p>\n Alcaraz will start against Aleksandar Vukic or David Goffin, before a third-round against Brandon Nakashim and a fourth-round against 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov \u2013 who he thrashed in Tennis Paradise.<\/p>\n With struggling fifth seed Casper Ruud the second-highest player in this quarter, Alcaraz should have a smooth path to the last four \u2013 and a meeting against Djokovic or Medvedev.<\/p>\n Though he was beaten by Holger Rune in the last four \u2013 and failed to make the final for a third straight year \u2013 Indian Wells felt like a step in the right direction for Medvedev<\/a> after recent struggles.<\/p>\n Having won the Miami Open title in 2023, and reaching the semi-final again last year, the former world No 1 could be primed to continue his promising to return to form here.<\/p>\n The Russian could have a tough third round against 26th seed Jiri Lehecka and then meet ninth seed Tsitsipas after that, though the courts in Miami should be well-suited to him.<\/p>\n With struggling fourth seed Djokovic in this quarter, there is a real chance for Medvedev to go deep into the draw once again \u2013 and potentially return to title-winning ways.<\/p>\n Miami Open draw: Novak Djokovic faces big test as Jack Draper is set for a rematch<\/a><\/p>\n Boris Becker sends warning to Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev about Jack Draper<\/a><\/p>\n Alexander Zverev has an underwhelming 4-4 record since the Australian Open, a run of results that has significantly damaged his chances of rising to world No 1.<\/p>\n The German will hope Miami can represent a significant return to form after an opening-match exit in Indian Wells \u2013 but his draw is incredibly tough.<\/p>\n Zverev is projected to face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the third round, and could then face Frances Tiafoe or Arthur Fils \u2013 fresh from a strong run in Tennis Paradise \u2013 in round four.<\/p>\n Further ahead, Indian Wells champion Jack Draper or runner-up Rune could await in the last eight, and it is projected to be third seed Taylor Fritz in the last four.<\/p>\n This is not an advantageous draw for the German, and his struggles look set to continue.<\/p>\n Only seven men have completed the \u2018Sunshine Double\u2019 \u2013 can new world No 7 Draper potentially make it eight?<\/p>\n The Brit is in the form of his life and could face two opponents he beat on his way to the Indian Wells title once again, in the form of Jenson Brooksby in round three and 11th seed Rune in round four.<\/p>\n Draper, however, could have to beat rising star Jakub Mensik as early as round two, while the likes of Zverev or Fils could await in the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n Winning the title could be a push for the 23-year-old, though expect him to progress at least someway through the draw.<\/p>\n Read Next<\/strong>:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Miami Open WTA Predictions: Gauff & Swiatek respond, Raducanu struggles, Andreeva & Sabalenka look ahead<\/a><\/p>\n The post Miami Open ATP Predictions: Djokovic\u2019s tough road, Alcaraz & Medvedev fight back, Zverev disappointment<\/a> appeared first on Tennis365<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Miami Open men\u2019s singles draw gets underway on Wednesday \u2013 and a new champion could be crowned in Florida. With defending champion and world No 1 Jannik Sinner currently serving his suspension, several of the ATP\u2019s leading stars will look to take advantage. Here, we assess the key storylines that could emerge \u2013 and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Alcaraz response<\/h4>\n
Medvedev eyes extended resurgence<\/h4>\n
ATP Tour News<\/h2>\n
Can Zverev end his struggles?<\/h4>\n
Draper\u2019s potential rematches<\/h4>\n