Scouting Report: Djokovic competes in Geneva, Humbert is the French leader in Lyon | ATP Tour

Scouting Report: Djokovic competes in Geneva, Humbert is the French leader in Lyon

A detailed summary of this coming week’s action

May 18, 2024

The ATP Tour European clay season features two ATP 250 tournaments leading up to Roland Garros. There will be plenty of stars present at the Gonet Geneva Open and Open Parc, with Novak Djokovic leading the Swiss event and Frenchmen Ugo Humbert, Adrian Mannarino and Gael Monfils seeded in Lyon.

Djokovic, No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will be accompanied by Casper Ruud and the Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton in Geneva, where Andy Murray will also participate. The French contingent in Lyon will meet second seed Alexander Bublik, fifth seed Frances Tiafoe and three Argentine seeds: Francisco Cerúndolo, Tomás Martín Etcheverry and Mariano Navone.

ATPTour.com reviews five details to follow in each tournament.

FIVE THINGS TO FOLLOW IN GENEVA
1) Can Djokovic Recover The Level? With a record of 4-2 on clay after competing in Monte Carlo and Rome, the world No. 1 will try to put the pieces together in Geneva. In his first participation in the tournament, the Serbian will debut against Andy Murray or Yannick Hanfmann in the second round. If he faces the British, he will play the 37th chapter of the ATP Head2Head history (Djokovic dominates 25-11).

2) Ruud Wants to Return: After a stellar start on the clay tour, where he linked the Monte Carlo final with the Barcelona title, Ruud fell prematurely in Madrid (l. to Auger-Aliassime) and Rome (l. to Kecmanovic). Casper will try to break this two-game losing streak with a good showing in Geneva, where he will face Rinky Hijikata or a qualifying opponent in his first match.

3) Fritz And Shelton, To Extend The Idyll With Clay: Both Americans have found success on the surface this season. Fritz linked the Munich final with ATP Masters 1000 brilliance to the semi-finals in Madrid and the quarter-finals in Rome. Shelton lifted his first clay title in Houston and reached the doubles semifinals in Rome with Bublik. Although they both prefer hard courts, can they continue to show versatility on the slower surface?

4) Murray On Squad: The Brit damaged ligaments in his left ankle in Miami but returned on the ATP Challenger Tour last week, scoring a victory in Bordeaux. On his return to the ATP Tour, Murray will face Germany’s Hanfmann in the first round. Andy will be looking to repeat the result of his only previous meeting at the Lexus ATP Head2Head in October, with a 7-5, 6-4 win in Basel.

5) Nys/Zielinski Lead Doubles: Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski are the top seeds in the doubles draw, followed by Jamie Murray and Michael Venus. Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavic, runners-up in Rome, will try to continue at that level as third favorites, while two Swiss couples will compete as guests.

FIVE THINGS TO FOLLOW IN LYON
1) Humbert Leads Local Hope: First seed Humbert makes his third appearance in Lyon, where he will try to improve his 2-3 record in the tournament. Champion in Marseille and Dubai this season, the Frenchman’s best result on clay in 2024 is the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo. He will debut against Dominik Koepfer or Brandon Nakashima.

2) Mannarino, Monfils and Gasquet Give Gallic Aroma: Seven Frenchmen populate Lyon’s individual draw, not including possible qualifying players. Third seed Mannarino shares half with Humbert, while Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet occupy the bottom half. Gasquet will face fellow guest Alexandre Muller in a French first-round duel, while Monfils will compete against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.

3) Can Bublik Exploit His Doubles Success? Bublik has only played ATP Masters 1000 tournaments on this clay tour, reaching the round of 16 in Madrid and defeats in his debut in Monte Carlo and Rome. However, he reached the semifinals in Rome with Ben Shelton, becoming one of the fans’ favorite couples. Can you extrapolate this success to the individual modality?

4) Cerúndolo Among the Three Argentine Seeds: After two Chileans reached the semifinals in Rome (Nicolás Jarry, Alejandro Tabilo), will it be Argentina’s turn in Lyon? The fourth seed Cerúndolo will lead the albiceleste group and will face a qualifying rival in the second round. Etcheverry, sixth seed, will face a qualifier in the first round, while seventh seed Navone will debut against Pavel Kotov.

5) González/Roger-Vasselin Debut Against the French: Three French players appear in the four seeded pairs, including Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who makes up the main seeded pairing with the Mexican Santiago González. They will face French guests Tristan Lamasine and Tom Paris in the first round, while French fourth seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul will meet Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti in the opener.