Monte Carlo Masters 2018 tennis live stream: Watch Djokovic vs Thiem online

Ninth seed Djokovic takes on "clay-court specialist" Thiem in the R16 tie of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament Thursday. Here's how you can watch it live.

The R16 match between Djokovic and Thiem will not start before 11 am local time, 2:30 pm IST, 10 am BST.
The winner of the tie is likely to face 10-time champion Rafael Nadal in the quarter-final Friday.

Two-time champion Novak Djokovic takes on "clay-court specialist" Dominic Thiem in what promises to be a blockbuster men's singles Round of 16 tie of Monte Carlo Masters 2018 on Thursday, April 19.

How to watch Monte Carlo Masters 2018 live

The match starts at 2:30pm IST/10am BST. Live coverage of the match between Djokovic and Thiem will be available on Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD. Click here for the live stream link for Djokovic vs Thiem and also other matches of 2018 Monte Carlo Masters.

Preview

Djokovic is heading into the match on the back of a three-set win over Borna Coric in the second-round match Wednesday. The 12-time Grand Slam champion, who impressed in his first-round against compatriot Dusan Lajovic, was pushed to the limits by the Croat.

The Serb, seeded ninth in the ongoing Masters 1000 tournament, needed 10 match points to register a 7-6(2), 7-5 win over Coric. Djokovic had said he was playing without pain on his injury-prone wrist for the first time in two years after his win over Lajovic, and the way he fired some forehand winners Wednesday was a testament to his statement.

Djokovic's defense was top-notch as well and he will be favorites going into the R16 match against Thiem. He has a 5-1 head-to-head advantage over the fifth seed but the Austrian won their most recent meeting on clay — French Open 2017 quarter-final in straight sets.

Thiem top-three player going around on clay: Djokovic

"Last year at Roland Garros he [Thiem] beat me in straight sets. He's definitely top-three player in the world on clay. He's one of the best players in general," Djokovic said, as quoted by ATP's official website.

He added: "He is coming off an injury himself... But he came back yesterday, I think match point down, and had a tough one himself. As I said, he's a clay-court specialist. He's got it all, the entire game for clay.

'I have got to think only about that. It's not the first time I have to face in earlier rounds some top players. I look forward to it."

Thiem, as Djokovic concedes, loves playing on the red dirt. He had a dream run last season as he finished as runner-up in Barcelona (ATP 500 tournament), Madrid Master's and also was the semi-finalist at French Open.

The 24-year-old won a title on clay — Argentina Open in February, 2018 before he was sidelined due to a fractured ankle at Indian Wells last month.

Thiem has the firepower to challenge Djokovic but he has looked rusty so far on his comeback from the ankle injury. Notably, the world number seven had to save a match point before beating Andrey Rublev 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 in a hard-fought battle.