An ATP 500 event, Abierto Mexicano Telcel in acapulco has its main draw out. On the main board, an impressive number of top players will definitely ensure a great deal of tennis this week. Perhaps the most surprising action was Djokovic taking a wild-card for this event. The Serb seems eager to regain his phenomenal pace of 2016 and to do so, he must keep a constant contact with the tennis court. With the schedule already in place, Djokovic is looking to a difficult path towards the higher stages in Acapulco.
Martin Klizan as the first test for the Serb
Novak Djokovic is leading the upper half of the board, while Rafael Nadal is conducting the lower bottom. In the first round match, Djokovic will face a troublesome player Martin Klizan (62 ATP). Despite his recent decay in the ranking, the 27-years-old Slovak is a reputable opponent for every top player.
No far than the 2017 Australian Open, he pushed Wawrinka into a five sets thriller. Against the Slovak, Djokovic has a 2-0 lead in head to head stats with both victories dating back from 2015 (Miami and Shanghai). If he gets past Klizan, in Djokovic's way could emerge Juan Martin del Potro who recently came back to the ATP circuit after an extended pre-season time off.
Del Potro is bad news for any top tennis players especially when you are about to face him in the 2nd round. At the Olympics in Rio, a brilliant del Potro stunned Djokovic who tearfully walked away from the Olympic gold dream. Djokovic's path might lead to other top opponents in the higher stages.
Whether is about Dominic Thiem, David Goffin or the unpredictable Nick Kyrgios, the Serb's way is paved with tough opposition.
Djokovic had an unexpected fall
Back in 2016, the first half of the season was simply a dictatorship that Djokovic imposed on the ATP circuit. After his groundbreaking success at the French Open, his eagerness lost some of its qualities eventually leading to a free-fall by the end of the season when he lost the world no. 1 spot to Andy Murray. A convincing start of 2017 in Doha was neutralized after that huge upset at the Australian Open.
