Top seed Novak Djokovic takes on second seed Gael Monfils in the Men's singles final of Aegon International 2017 in Eastbourne on Saturday, July 1.
Djokovic, who accepted a wildcard into Eastbourne, decimated world number 63 Daniil Medvedev of Russia 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets in his last-four outing on Friday. The Serb, who has only won one title in 2017 -- Qatar Open, will look to end his six-month-long title drought later today.
The world number four had not played in any grass court tournament outside Wimbledon since 2010, but was forced to feature in Eastbourne due to his poor returns in the recent past. Djokovic has conceded he is struggling to find form and a titleless run is starting to concern him.
Notably, Djokovic, who started the year as world number two, was ousted from the Australian Open as early as in the second round. He struggled to reach the final stages in Acapulco and Indian Wells.
On the dirt, Djokovic improved by reaching the semi-final of Madrid and finishing as runner-up in Rome, but faced a quarter-final exit at Roland Garros, thereby failing to defend his title and slipping to fourth in ATP rankings.
The ongoing stint in Eastbourne should help Djokovic regain confidence ahead of the all-important Wimbledon, starting July 3. Notably, the Serb has beaten Monfils in all their 13 meetings in the past, but the two have never played on grass before.
Meanwhile, Monfils edged past his compatriot Richard Gasquet in a hard-fought semi-final outing 6-2, 6-7(7), 7-6(4). Having struggled with injury concerns after a solid year in 2016, the Frenchman is slowly getting back to his best in the ongoing season.
Despite being kicked out in the first round of Halle earlier this month, Monfils has fought back, beating the likes of in-form Bernard Tomic and Gasquet en route the title match.
While he will be geared up to impress in the big showdown later today, Monfils, known for his powerful shots, has to be at his best to test Djokovic, who has not dropped a set yet in the ongoing tournament.
TV Schedule and Live Streaming information
The Aegon International 2017 Final between Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils is set to start at 2:00 pm local time, 6:30 pm IST.
India: Live scores will be available on ATP's official website.
USA: TV: Tennis channel. Live streaming: Tennis channel
International live streaming: ATP official website (Subscription needed)
