PREVIEW | 2023 ATP Finals Day Three: DJOKOVIC vs SINNER and TSITSIPAS vs RUNE continue Green Group stage

Day Three of the 2023 ATP Finals will get underway on Tuesday, November 14 at the Pala Alpitour in Turin. Here is our preview of the event as the Green Group continues with Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Holger Rune.

The 2023 Nitto ATP Finals got off to a good start for World No. 1 Djokovic and World No. 4 Sinner. The Italian player breezed past Tsitsipas in his opening match at the tournament in front of a home crowd, defeating his opponent in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. Meanwhile, Djokovic had more difficulty against Rune.

The Serbian player won their first set on a tiebreak 7-6 (4), before the Dane went on to win the second 7-6 (1) to force a decider. However, the top seed's consistency and experience ultimately prevailed to see him win the third set 6-3, once again proving his ability to emerge victorious from most tough situations.

Djokovic leads their head-to-head 3-0, having most recently defeated the 22-year-old at Wimbledon earlier this year in straight sets. Moreover, the 36-year-old's victory at the Paris Masters last week, which he achieved despite being ill at the time, acts as a further indication of his resilience and how tough he is to defeat.

Nevertheless, Sinner has been on the rise recently, defeating Daniil Medvedev to win both the China Open and Vienna Open, despite having lost all six of their previous encounters. Therefore, many have concluded that if any of the players are going to better Djokovic in Turin, Sinner could be the one to do it. Moreover, the outcome of their first Group Stage matches suggests that he may actually be in with a shot of defeating the 24-time Grand Slam champion, although it is likely to be a tight victory.

Prediction: Jannik Sinner to win in three sets.

Prior to this clash, World No. 6 Tsitsipas and eighth seed Rune will battle it out to give themselves a better chance of advancing to the semi-finals. The Greek player suffered a definitive straight-sets loss to Sinner, while the Dane was able to fight back more and take a set off Djokovic despite ultimately losing the match.

Furthermore, the 20-year-old leads his head-to-head with Tsitsipas 2-0, although they haven't faced each other in over a year, with their last encounter being at the 2022 Stockholm Open where Rune won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. Both players struggled with a drop in form over the summer and autumn, failing to put together back-to-back wins on the ATP Tour for almost two months.

However, they re-found their level again just in time with some deep runs at the Paris Masters among other tournaments helping them to secure their places in Turin. Tsitsipas will be aiming to put his opponent under pressure with a strong first serve, while Rune will be hoping to disrupt the 25-year-old's rhythm by forcing him to move around the court a lot. Although both players have improved, Rune's ability to put Djokovic under pressure combined with his head-to-head against Tsitsipas suggests that he may come through this one with relative ease.

Prediction: Holger Rune to win in straight sets.