Dino at home

Day 1 of the main draw, and Dino in the night session. What more could you ask for? The Croatian is a showtime player who will be carried by the crowd.

He’s been a bit disappointing since Roland, with issues I wouldn’t know how to explain (but several MTOs). He even pulled out of the Iasi Challenger just before the tournament. Two options: either he had a slight doubt and prefers to take zero risk to be at 300% here. Or he’s still bothered and shows up at 80% for a tournament he’s kind of obliged to play. He’ll fight like a lion, that’s for sure. But at what level?

Because on the other side of the net it’s Kopriva. A formidable player, but also a player who got injured at Wimbledon (hip). If he’s back to 100%, he’ll be a tough nut to crack for a Prizmic at 80%. But if the Croatian is in good shape too, he’s the better overall player. More mobile, more resilient in rallies. So it’s quite a strange match to analyze, with the local guy as way too big a favorite...