2025 Geneva Open Preview: Novak Djokovic Seeks Title No. 100 in Geneva
Get set for one of only two remaining Roland Garros warmup events when the Geneva Open kicks off Sunday, May 18.
Top seed Taylor Fritz and No. 2 Novak Djokovic headline a field of battle-tested vets, with young guns like Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien ready to stir the pot on Geneva’s faster clay—sitting at 410m altitude, where big serves and aggressive play could steal the show.
Let’s break down the Geneva Open!
Past Geneva Open Champions in the Field
- Nicolas Jarry (2023)
- Stan Wawrinka (2018, 2017)
Geneva Open Bracket
Geneva Open Top Half: Fritz Leads the Charge
Top seed Taylor Fritz headlines the top half and starts with a bye, setting up a potential second-round clash with either clay-court grinder Jaume Munar or Quentin Halys.
Fritz, known for his powerful serve and aggressive baseline play, will look to build momentum on clay after injuries marred his European clay-court season.
However, the top half is stacked with threats.
Fifth seed Arthur Rinderknech and 2024 Estoril champ Hubert Hurkacz are dangerous floaters. Hurkacz needs to adapt his all-court game to the slower clay as a potential quarterfinal opponent for Fritz.
Fourth seed Karen Khachanov anchors this section and could face a tricky opener against two-time Barcelona champ Kei Nishikori or rising American star Learner Tien.
Khachanov’s quarter includes 2024 Bastad champ Nuno Borges and young American Alex Michelsen, but the big-hitting Russian has the goods to force a semifinal showdown.
Geneva Open Bottom Half: Djokovic Chasing Title No. 100?
No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic skipped Rome but is in Geneva, possibly to gain extra matches.
His road to title No. 100 begins against the winner of Marton Fucsovics or Fabian Marozsan. Bucharest semifinalist Fucsovics can battle on clay with the best, while Marozsan’s aggressive style could test the former World No. 1 early.
Djokovic could face a tough semifinal, potentially a Madrid rematch with Matteo Arnaldi, provided the Italian gets through a difficult draw.
Last year’s finalist, Tomas Machac, leads the bottom half, starting against the winner of Matteo Arnaldi or Hugo Gaston, with the Frenchman likely boosted by near-home support.
Big-serving Alexei Popyrin, Jacob Fearnley, and local wildcard Dominic Stricker could pose early challenges for the Czech No. 2.
Phil Naessens Geneva Open Prediction
Sorry if this puts a bee in your bonnet, but anyone serious about winning Roland Garros isn’t trying to win the Geneva Open one week before the French Open.
What is Novak even doing here in Geneva?
Is his confidence so shot that he needs an ego boost, or has he realized he has a better chance of hoisting his 100th ATP Tour title than winning his 25th Grand Slam?
That would mean winning tennis on the most grueling surface for three weeks. Outside of the Joker’s Wimbledon final and Olympic gold, Djokovic has had nagging lower-body injuries with inconsistent results since January 2024.
Machac has a good history here, and I like him a lot, but Fritz is in a good spot to win his first ATP clay-court title. Fritz probably won’t win Roland Garros, but unlike Djokovic, he’s fit enough to beat the Geneva field and give it a real go in Paris.
The American was poised for a strong clay-court season after posting strong 2024 dirt results, but an abdominal strain that wasn’t allowed to heal properly caused him to miss much of the clay season.
Plus, Geneva’s clay plays faster than Roland Garros due to its 410m altitude, favoring Fritz’s aggressive style, solid, clay-court rally tolerance, and big serve over the other pure clay-courters in this field who might struggle to keep up. Djokovic’s serve could benefit too, but his recent form makes me doubt he’ll capitalize.
Geneva Open Prediction: Taylor Fritz
