Carlos Alcaraz vs Dusan Lajovic Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Alcaraz returns from injury in Rome opener

You could make an argument that this Rome Masters is the most highly-anticipated tournament since the Australian Open, with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner back in action and landing in the opposite side of the draw to Alcaraz, meaning they could potentially clash in what would be a blockbuster final. However, there's a lot of work to be done for both players, who come into this event underdone and with uncertainty surrounding their level of play.

Alcaraz was last seen limping to a straight sets defeat in the Barcelona final against Holger Rune, with the Spaniard subsequently withdrawing from Madrid due to a leg injury. Alcaraz has only ever won one match in Rome, with his only previous appearance at the tournament resulting in a defeat to then tour-debutant Fabian Marozsan. Lajovic is a savvy veteran who has already won three good matches from qualifying over the last week, while the Serbian has also forced tiebreaks in his last two meetings with Alcaraz. With Alcaraz known for his slow starts, I'm backing Over 18.5 total games, with the World No. 3 digging out the win.

Alcaraz leads 4-0 and hasn't dropped a set in any of those victories. Their last meeting was a 6-0 7-6 win for Alcaraz in third round of the 2023 Miami Masters.

Alcaraz comes into this tournament with a 24-5 record on the season, but he hasn't really taken advantage of Sinner's absence from the tour and has dropped to No. 3 in the world.

The Spaniard has secured two more titles in Rotterdam and Monte Carlo, kicking off his clay swing in style as he defeated Lorenzo Musetti in the final. Although, he didn't have to face a then-top 10 player during that title run.

Opting to compete in Barcelona after a quick turnaround was probably the wrong decision in hindsight, with Alcaraz injuring his leg in a straight sets final defeat to Rune, forcing him to pull out of his home tournament in Madrid.

Hoping to get some more match practice in before his Roland Garros title defence, Alcaraz will be hoping for a first deep run in Rome after his shock defeat to Marozsan in his only previous outing at the tournament.

Lajovic has dropped down to No. 131 in the rankings after a poor 3-8 record at tour-level so far in 2025.

However, Lajovic has compiled a 13-8 record at all levels on clay and he remains a tough competitor on this surface.

The Serbian is a former Monte Carlo Masters finalist and has been ranked as high as No. 23 in the world, so he should never be underestimated.

Lajovic has been playing some of his best tennis of the season over the last few days in Rome, defeating Ethan Quinn and Cameron Norrie to qualify for the main draw before toppling Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets to set up this showdown with Alcaraz.

The 34-year-old's best result in Rome was a R16 finish in 2019, where he defeated Milos Raonic and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina before running into Rafael Nadal.