Novak Djokovic can claim a record-equalling 20th grand slam title by beating Matteo Berrettini, but may not have things all his own way. The Serbian superstar has not quite been on top form at Wimbledon and Berrettini is playing well enough to make his presence felt on Centre Court.
Ash Barty is backed to show why she is world number one by beating Karolina Pliskova in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon. The 25-year-old’s game has always appeared a perfect fit for grass, ever since she won the junior title here a decade ago, aged just 15.
We’re now at the business end of our Wimbledon predictions and have a near-15/1 double from the men’s singles semi-finals. All four players left in this event have impressed over the past fortnight and it will be a surprise to us if either match is a blow-out.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic having signed a contract extension at AC Milan which will see him play Champions League football at the age of 40, we’ve looked through the annals of modern sporting history and picked out six other star athletes who defied the ageing process.
After two classic semi-finals, we’re expecting the French Open decider between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas to be a one-sided affair. The Serbian superstar looks pumped up as he targets a 19th grand slam title, whereas his Greek opponent will be competing in a maiden major final.
Barbora Krejcikova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will both be appearing in their first grand slam final at this year’s French Open. Each player has had to come through some epic battles and another close contest is on the cards, with the pair ranked 32 and 33 in the WTA ratings.
We’re continuing our French Open predictions with selections for the men’s semi-finals at Roland Garros that could land us a 13/1 double. The tension is rising at the business end of the tournament as we wait to find out who will be this year’s king and queen of clay.
It is a sign of how well Daniil Medvedev is playing that he is available at similar odds to win the Australian Open men’s singles final despite Novak Djokovic’s record at Melbourne Park. Djokovic is one win away from a ninth Australian Open title but he faces a tough test against an opponent who has won his last 20 matches.
Naomi Osaka and Jennifer Brady produced a thrilling semi-final at the US Open last year and neutrals will hope for more of the same when they meet in the Australian Open women’s singles final. Osaka triumphed 7-6 3-6 6-3 in New York so Brady may feel she has more of a chance than odds of 18/5 suggest.
Stefanos Tsitsipas looked to be on his way out of the Australian Open after losing the first two sets against Rafael Nadal but is now one win away from a maiden grand slam final. While Tsitsipas produced a stunning comeback to beat the Spaniard, Daniil Medvedev had no such drama as he cruised to a straight-sets victory over Andrey Rublev.
We’re continuing our Australian Open predictions with a near-9/2 treble from three of the semi-finals in Melbourne. Unique conditions are sure to play a part in how the year’s first grand slam tournament pans out, but we’re hoping these selections cope with the unusual circumstances.
With age having already begun to catch up with some of the sport’s superstars, it is likely that we will see a first-time tennis Grand Slam winner in 2021, so we’ve run the rule over the five most likely candidates on each tour based on their recent performances.
We’re continuing our ATP Finals predictions with Friday’s final group-stage matches at the O2 Arena in London and are looking to follow yesterday’s winning 17/2 double with an 8/1 shot today. This is the final year the event will be staged here and eight of the world’s top nine players are present, with Roger Federer ruled out by injury.
To commemorate the end of the ATP Finals’ 12-year stay in London, we have analysed what it has taken to win the tournament in this period and what this could mean for the outcome of its final staging this year.