Novak Djokovic vs. Constant Lestienne Prediction: Djokovic Starts With An Easy Opener

On Tuesday, January 3, world number five Novak Djokovic begins his 2023 campaign with a match against the 65th-ranked Constant Lestienne in the first round of the 2023 Adelaide International.

Last season, Djokovic endured an agony after arriving in Australia but failing to play a competitive match. The 21-time Grand Slam winner was then deported after his refusal to have a Covid-19 immunization was cited as a cause.

He would eventually skip the whole US Open Series as a result of his anti-vaccination attitude, but Djokovic still managed to compile a 43-6 win-loss record in 2022.

Despite missing out on all of the events, Djokovic won five trophies, including the top prize at Wimbledon and the year-ending ATP Finals. There were two further final appearances.

Djokovic will now aim to prepare well for the Australian Open, where he will attempt to capture his 10th championship and 22nd Grand Slam overall.

Lestienne had previously broken into the top 150 rankings, having began the 2022 season with a career-best rating of 142nd but a season-ending position of 202nd.

At 29, it seems impossible that he could pull off something as stunning as he did in 2022.

Lestienne won three Challenger championships for the first time in his career. In fact, before to 2022, the Frenchman had won three times in his career, and he more than quadrupled that figure last season.

Lestienne was able to compete in ATP events like as San Diego, where he reached the quarterfinals, and Tel Aviv, where he reached the semifinals.

Despite his success, can he put Djokovic to the test in this opener?

Bookmakers have Djokovic at about 1/40 to win, which is to be expected from a player at the pinnacle of his career and health. The best we can hope for is something interesting in the gaming sector.