ATP Finals predictions: Rublev can serve it up to Djokovic
- Novak Djokovic has won all 18 of his matches since Wimbledon in July
- Andrey Rublev has lost only three of his last 14 matches
- Recommended Bet: Andrey Rublev each-way
Iga Swiatek was crowned champion of the WTA Finals last week and now it is the turn of the men with the eight highest-ranked players on the ATP Tour competing as they bid to sign off the season in style with victory in Italy.
The campaign-closing event gets underway at Pala Alpitour in Turin on Sunday and the seven-day spectacular is headlined by defending champion Novak Djokovic, who is chasing a fourth straight title success.
Despite his advancing years, the 36-year-old is showing no signs of relenting and he has not looked back since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final in July.
That defeat has spurred Djokovic on to an 18-game winning streak, which has featured title successes in Cincinnati, the US Open and in Paris.
The Serb has won this season-ending tournament six times - he triumphed in four straight years from 2012 to 2015 - and it will take an inspired performance from one of his rivals to dethrone him.
However, Djokovic won’t have things easy in the Green Group, where he must overcome Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune.
The other round-robin group, also known as the Red Group, consists of Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev and the top two from each section will advance to the semi-finals.
Prediction
Djokovic is a worthy favourite given his lengthy winning run and the fact he was crowned champion at this same venue last season, but he is shorter in the betting than should be the case in what is an illustrious field.
The world number one will be determined to go out with a bang and is likely to take all the beating in the Green Group, despite impressive Italian Sinner being an obvious threat.
However, Djokovic has won all four meetings with Sinner - three in straight sets - while he also leads fellow group rivals Tsitsipas 11-2 in their personal series.
That means his toughest test early on may come from Danish youngster Rune, who has won two of their four previous encounters and pushed Djokovic to a deciding set in the Paris quarter-final only last week.
After a barren spell with injury, Rune is starting to put his best foot forward, although it would still be a big ask for the 20-year-old debutant to go all the way and take the title.
So for those looking to oppose Djokovic, the each-way value could lie in the Red Group with in-form Russian Rublev given the nod.
The wheels have fallen off Alcaraz in recent months with the Spaniard making no secret that he is feeling the effects of a long, hard season.
Alcaraz has lost three of his last five matches and has failed to win any of his six tournament appearances since being crowned Wimbledon champion in July.
With Medvedev proving hit-and-miss this season and without silverware since winning in Rome in May, some 11 tournaments ago, the Red Group could provide an upset.
Rublev has won four of his last five meetings with Zverev and he has been the most consistent of the quartet, suggesting that he could be the biggest threat to Djokovic.
The world number five finished runner-up in Shanghai in the middle of October, was a semi-finalist in Vienna and then made the last four again most recently in Paris, where he lost 5-7 7-6 7-5 to Djokovic.
That shows how capable he is in current form and if holding his nerve, he could go well at a nice price. Rublev was a semi-finalist last year and could go at least one place better.
