Pick of the Day: Alex de Minaur vs. Novak Djokovic, Monte Carlo

De Minaur is going to make Djokovic work hard in this match, as he runs down every ball and plays a very physical brand of tennis. However, even though de Minaur has improved his serve and been more aggressive when it’s time to finish points, I still think he lacks the overall pop you need to get the better of Djokovic on clay. The Serbian is just such a good defender that de Minaur will have to go out of his comfort zone to try and get shots by him. And when that happens, de Minaur can run into a lot of trouble.

Djokovic just has to be a little sharper with his serve in order to get the job done here. He got a little loose with the ball on his racquet against Musetti; if he does that against De Minaur, one of the game’s best returners, then he’ll run into some trouble. But I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get better from match to match. After beating Musetti, Djokovic noted that he’s nowhere near his best level. We may see that on Thursday.

(And if Djokovic takes another straight-sets loss to de Minaur? Well, that'll cash too.)

Pick: Under 21.5 Games (-123)